Gianni Versace documented vintage blue leather suit, fw 1981
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: US 8 - ITALY 42 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Condition is excellent with all the production labels still attached inside the garments.
- Seller Location:Antwerpen, BE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU44722503682
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: Antwerpen, Belgium
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Marisa Martin Knightsbridge vintage 1970s silk blouse and skirt ensembleLocated in Antwerpen, Vlaams GewestMarisa Martin of Knightsbridge is the designer of this stunning vintage 1970s silk crepe blouse and skirt ensemble, one of the esteemed designers of the ...Category
1970s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Céline vintage 1970s 100% silk printed matching blouse & skirt ensemble.By CelineLocated in Antwerpen, Vlaams GewestCéline vintage 1970s silk printed matching blouse & skirt ensemble. Both pieces are made from high-quality crispy silk. The top has an easy-to-wear cut and sits loosely on the body....Category
1970s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Issey Miyake vintage 90s pleated green multi colored ombre top and pants setBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Antwerpen, Vlaams GewestThis is a sensational Issey Miyake Pleats Please green ombre top and pants ensemble. The pants are a solid green/kaki color but the top has an ombré effect with green kaki, brown, and bleu. Issey Miyake pleats pieces, particularly those from the 90s, have regained popularity and are in high demand. Finding one in excellent condition like this one is a plus. Made in Japan Top Japan size F...Category
1990s Japanese Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Yves Saint Laurent 1970s blue chiffon dot blouse & blue silk jersey skirt setBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Antwerpen, Vlaams GewestYves Saint Laurent rive gauche 1970s blue chiffon metallic dot blouse and silk jersey skirt The chiffon blouse features a metallic print of gold & silver dots, and blouson sleeves w...Category
1970s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Yves Saint Laurent "rive gauche" S/S 1978 Picasso inspired documented cotton setBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Antwerpen, Vlaams GewestYves Saint Laurent introduces the Zouave silhouette in his Pablo Picasso-inspired spring 1980 collection. Documented amazing and rare three pieces set. Please use the measurements...Category
1970s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Celine vintage cotton safari style signed gold buttons jacket and skirt suitBy CelineLocated in Antwerpen, Vlaams Gewest1970s cotton khaki safari jacket & jupe culotte suit by Celine. Excellent condition. The belt is not included but is available on 1stdibs. Please consult the measurements for the pe...Category
1970s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Ocher wool chevron skirt- suit Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FROcher wool chevron skirt suit.Horn buttons. Silk lining. Shoulder pads. Wrap-skirt SIZE 40Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Black and white mini check pattern skirt-suit Yves Saint Laurent VariationBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack and white mini check pattern skirt-suit. No fabric composition tag but main fabric is wool and lining rayon or acetate. Shoulder pad. Wrap skirt. ONE TINY STAIN IN THE FRONT O...Category
1980s Unknown Skirt Suits
- Red and grey skirt-suit officer's style Thierry Mugler Circa 1980'sBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed and grey skirt-suit officer's style. Snap in the middle front + on the bust's pockets + snap on the cuffs. Main fabric composition: 78% rayon, 22% linen. No lining composition ...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Red skirt suit with gros-grain bow on the pockets Thierry Mugler Circa 1980By Thierry MuglerLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRRed polyester skirt suit with gros-grain bow on the pockets. No fabric tag composition for the lining but probably acetate or rayon. Shoulder pad. Cut-work. Snap closure in the midd...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Pink skirt-suit with short sleeves and jewelery cabochon Thierry MuglerBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRPink skirt-suit with short sleeves and jewelery cabochon on the middle front of the jacket ( 2 snaps underneath) Main fabric composition: 78% rayon, 22% linen. No fabric lining co...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Dark green wool tweed skirt-suit Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Circa 1980'sBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRGreen wool tweed skirt-suit. Metal buttons. Shoulder pads. Satin lining. SIZE 40 (L)Category
1980s French Skirt Suits