1990s Gianni Versace Versus Black and White Abstract Vintage 90s Halter Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Small / Medium (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6624301213
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: San Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Vintage Casalino Necklace Print Silk 1970s Boho 70s Dress Tunic Made In ItalyLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing vintage 1970s Casalino silk dress, or tunic! Ruffle detail at shoulders, with an elastic waist. Colorful pearl necklace print throughout. Peasa...Category
1970s Italian Casual Dresses
- Incredible Vintage Giorgio di Sant Angelo 80s White Fully Beaded Bodycon DressBy Giorgio di Sant' AngeloLocated in San Diego, CAIncredible, sexy, and timeless vintage 1980s Giorgio di Sant Angelo white beaded dress! Encrusted with thousands of seed beads, rhinestones, etc...T...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1990s Jenny Packham Black and White Sequined Silk Vintage 90s Mini DressBy Jenny PackhamLocated in San Diego, CASexy late 90s JENNY PACKHAM black and white sequined silk mini dress! Packham got her start in the 1980s, but really rose to fame after her designs were featured on Kim Catrall ( Sa...Category
1990s British Cocktail Dresses
- 1950s Paisley Cotton 3/4 Sleeves Fit n' Flare Vintage 50s Bow DressLocated in San Diego, CAChic 1950s paisley fit n' flare cotton dress! Features ivory background with warm hues of maroon, orange, pale yellow nad ivory throughout. Shelf like bust with attached bow. Metal z...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
- NWT Tom Ford $7, 000 Runway Fall 2015 Size 42 / 8 White Open Back Fringe DressBy Tom FordLocated in San Diego, CASOLD OUT Brand new with tags TOM FORD Fall 2015 runway white fringe flapper style dress! Impeccably designed, this rare gem features fabulous white ...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1970s Patchwork Eyelet Lace Red White and Blue Long Sleeve Vintage Maxi DressLocated in San Diego, CAStylish vintage 70s red, white and blue patchwork cotton and eyelet lace long sleeve maxi dress! Features a solid white eyelet lace in shapes of flowers. Buttons up the front and at ...Category
1970s American Maxi Dress
- Issey Miyake Sculptural Pleats Please Vintage Pleated Avant Garde Midi DressBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Sparks, NVStunning vintage Issey Miyake Pleats Please dress. Unlined with no closure (pulls on over the head). The bust measures 29-42" (un...Category
1990s Japanese Day Dresses
- Versace Collection green dressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Capri, ITVersace Collection green dress totally made in italy in size s total lenght 70 cmCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Day Dresses
- Vintage 1950's Evelyn Brown Couture Sage Green Silk-Satin Ruched Cocktail DressLocated in Beverly Hills, CASuch an elegant and timeless 1950's cocktail dress from the Evelyn Brown Washington D.C designer label. Perfect for any upcoming party; you can't help but feel feminine in this beaut...Category
1950s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Halston silk charmeuse strapless gownBy HalstonLocated in Beverly Hills, CAHalston gown in silk charmeuse. A very architectural look, the bodice wraps around the body ending in the bias cut skirt with high front slit. Interi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage Missoni Psychedelic Silk Chiffon Beaded Cut Out Mini Dress w/ TagsBy MissoniLocated in Beverly Hills, CABeautiful 2009 Missoni designer runway dress with tags that retailed for over $3,000 when new. Redefining an entire genre of fashion, Missoni launched to fame as the boho chic trends...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mini Dress
- Victorian Embroidered Batiste Lace Gown Hattie 1900sLocated in West Palm Beach, FLVictorian embroidered cotton batiste lace gown embroidered with the name Hattie from the early 1900s. This beautiful gown was never worn, it stil...Category
Early 1900s American Maxi Dresses