Gianni Versace F/W 2002 Runway One Shoulder High Slit Silk Black Mini Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 40 (EU)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Naples, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1624120552072
Gianni Versace Couture
Subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive, Gianni Versace’s (1946–97) designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” the legendary Italian couturier once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.
Today, vintage Versace clothing, handbags and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant. The designer debuted his Atelier Versace line — which was part of the first Versace haute couture collection — in 1989.
More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration. In fact, 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! '90” — the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace was born in Reggio di 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, Versace 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 1989's Gianni Versace Couture — 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. This 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 Couture bags, dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Naples, FL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S1999 Flamingo Tropical Print Cutout Mesh Maxi DressBy Jean Paul Gaultier SoleilLocated in Naples, FLJean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S 1999 Flamingo Tropical Print Cutout Mesh Bodycon Maxi Dress Size M FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @OPULENTADDICTCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier 1990's Vintage Bustier Bodycon Knit Mini DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Naples, FLJean Paul Gaultier Junior 1990's Vintage Bustier Bodycon Knit Mini Dress IT 42Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Tom Ford for Gucci S/S 1995 Vintage Lace Up Off Shoulder Crochet Knit DressBy Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Naples, FLTom Ford for Gucci S/S 1995 Vintage Lace Up Off Shoulder Crochet Knit Dress Size SCategory
1990s Day Dresses
- Azzedine Alaia S/S 1992 Vintage Off Shoulder Bodycon Black DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia S/S 1992 Vintage Off Shoulder Bodycon Black Dress MCategory
1990s Day Dresses
- Azzedine Alaia F/W 1991 Runway Vintage Iconic Leopard Print Bodycon DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia F/W 1991 Runway Vintage Iconic Leopard Print Bodycon Dress Size L Iconic Azzedine Alaïa leopard print stretch bodycon dress featuring high v neckline and back zip cl...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Chanel Cruise 2014 Ivory Mini DressBy ChanelLocated in Naples, FLChanel Cruise 2014 Ivory Mini Dress From the Cruise 2014 Collection. Creme Chanel sleeveless tweed dress featuring raw-edges throughout, V-neck, i...Category
2010s Day Dresses
- Silk jersey and chiffon printed cocktail dress Averardo Bessi Circa 1960'sBy Averardo BessiLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRSilk jersey and chiffon printed cocktail dress. Belt with gold metal hardware and chain fringes at the end. Shoulder pad. Zip and hook&eye in the middle back. The top part of the dre...Category
1960s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1970S Purple & Blue Striped Poly Blend Satin Long Sleeve Day To Night DressLocated in New York, NY1970S Purple & Blue Striped Poly Blend Satin Long Sleeve Day To Night DressCategory
1970s Casual Dresses
- 1990S GIANNI VERSACE Style Silk Crepe De Chine Leopard Baroque Scarf Print DressLocated in New York, NY1990S GIANNI VERSACE Style Silk Crepe De Chine Leopard Baroque Scarf Print DressCategory
1990s Casual Dresses
- 1960'S Pyschedelic Floral Cotton Long Sleeve Mod Dress With PocketsLocated in New York, NY1960'S Pyschedelic Floral Cotton Long Sleeve Mod Dress With PocketsCategory
1960s Casual Dresses
- MORPHEW COLLECTION Peach Silk Jersey Dress With Cutout Front & 1930S Floral TrimBy MorphewLocated in New York, NYMORPHEW COLLECTION Peach Silk Jersey Dress With Cutout Front & 1930S Floral Trim MORPHEW COLLECTION is made entirely by hand in our NYC Ateliér of rare antique materials sourced from...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Casual Dresses
- 1970S SAKS 5TH AVENUE Navy Silk Chiffon Ruffled GownLocated in New York, NY1970S SAKS 5TH AVENUE Navy Silk Chiffon Ruffled GownCategory
1970s Formal Gowns