Gianni Versace blue Raccoon fur coat, fw 1997
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: FR 36 - IT 40 - UK 8 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Raccoon Fur
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14027355992
Gianni Versace
The signature extravagance of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace — forever aligned with glamour, sex, celebrity and spectacle — can overshadow the Italian couturier’s broad and deep engagement with history and culture. Today, his vintage dresses and gowns, handbags, sunglasses and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration, and his subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” he once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.
Gianni Versace was born in Calabria, Italy. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, little Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that were at the foundation of his creative expression.
In 1972, at age 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection — and his label — in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, sister Donatella, whom Gianni dressed and took to discos when she was still a child, joined the family venture, where she had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus.
Vintage Versace — and Gianni Versace Couture, which debuted in 1989 — has become catnip for modern fashion enthusiasts who seek out the now-iconic house codes that originated in the designs of the 1980s and 1990s. His glamorous and seductive apparel — the clingy skirts and slender, strappy party dresses, as well as the erotic magazine ads that publicized them — looms large, but Versace’s art and historical influences were also vast.
Versace was an art collector, and he took on commissions to create costumes for theatrical performances during the 1980s and spoke of looking to numerous cultures for inspiration. The New York Times noted in 1997 that the fashion industry “is now driven by contemporary culture because Mr. Versace made it that way.”
Insiders consider his 1991/1992 Autumn/Winter runway show — which featured supermodels Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista lip-synching George Michael’s “Freedom” — as the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace's adventurous spirit of design resulted in his creating jewel-toned prints rooted in Grecian motifs, Etruscan symbols, the Italian Baroque and Andy Warholʼs Marilyn Monroe. There were slinky dresses in Oroton, his patented chain-mail textile that draped like satin, and leather bondage ensembles. Sex sold, for both women and men. Wrote the late curator Richard Martin, “[Versace] became the standard-bearer of gay men’s fashion because he eschewed decorum and designed for desire.”
Following Versace’s tragic murder in 1997, Donatella took over the role of artistic director and continued to evolve the house codes with a twist of her feminine and feminist perspective. Today, Santo Versace is chief executive officer of Versace and Donatella is its chief creative officer.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Gianni Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Martin Margiela dark grey wool coat with an elongated hood-collar, fw 2005By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GBMartin Margiela dark grey wool coat with an elongated hood-collar Fall-Winter 2005Category
Early 2000s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- Yves Saint Laurent oversized brown and white fox coat, c. 1980sBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in London, GBPresenting an exquisite Yves Saint Laurent oversized wild fox coat, a rare and luxurious piece from the 1980s. This coat exemplifies the brand's commitment to luxury and high fashion...Category
1980s French Fur Puffer Coats
- Alexander McQueen Men's blue denim trench coatBy Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GBAlexander McQueen Men's blue denim trench coatCategory
Early 2000s British Coats and Outerwear
- Gucci Autumn-Winter 2006 Men's black wool evening coatBy GucciLocated in London, GBGucci Autumn-Winter 2006 Men's black wool evening coat with metal hook and eye closures and silk liningCategory
Early 2000s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- Exceptional Yves Saint Laurent Beaver Fur Coat c. 1980sBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in London, GBA Yves Saint Laurent beaver fur coat from the 1980s. The coat is in an oversized style and lined with 'YSL' monogram silk. No closure and hangs loosely. Brand new/unworn Fr 4...Category
1980s French Fur Puffer Coats
- Jacques Fath red leopard print silk evening coat, fw 1992By Jacques FathLocated in London, GBJacques Fath red leopard print silk evening opera coat with quilted interior and large button fastenings. Fall-Winter 1992Category
1990s French Opera Coats
- Mariano Fortuny Gauze Sleevless Coat, Provenance Tina ChowBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYTransparent Fortuny gauze pieces are based on the ancient tunic which was a shirt like garment that became traditional attire in roman times, the copts or christian egyptians...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
- Mariano Fortuny Black Stencilled Velvet Persian Style CoatBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis three-quarter length black velvet persian coat was printed with metallic paints with Venetian glass buttons and silk loop closures at the center fr...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
- Mariano Fortuny Green Stencilled Velvet Long CoatBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYFortuny translated the caftan as a loose fitting outer garment,usually made out of silk velvet crepe or gauze the fitted back and open front allowed for elaborate stenciled decoratio...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Coats
- 1980s Galanos Asymmetric Grey Coat DressBy GalanosLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis piece is giving us vintage meets Jacquemus vibes! This incredible 1980s Galanos piece can be worn open as a coat or closed as a dress- it's up to you! Dark cool grey fabric with...Category
1980s American Day Dresses
- Verheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Black - Size uk 10By Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Edward Leather Coat with Faux Fur Collar in Red - Size uk 10 The Edward Leather Coat created by Verheyen London is a romanti...Category
2010s British Coats
- Verheyen London Legacy Black Fox Fur Stole Collar with beltBy Verheyen LondonLocated in London, GBVerheyen London Legacy Black Fox Fur Stole Collar with belt The Legacy Stole is Verheyen London’s versatile design to be worn from day to night. Crafted in the finest dyed blue fox ...Category
2010s Greek Stoles
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.
Vivienne Westwood’s Punk Spirit Lives On in This ’90s Tartan Ensemble
The shorts suit in a mash-up of patterns with an asymmetrical cut speaks to the designer’s rebellious spirit.