Gianni Versace grey checked wool pleated skirt and cropped jacket, ss 1994
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 38 - FR 34 - UK 6 - US 2 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14029239632
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.
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld orange bouclé wool dress and jacket set, fw 1995By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel orange bouclé wool dress and jacket set ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Mid-length sheath dress with v-neck ▪ Back vent with gold 'CC' buttons ▪ Silk lining ▪ Unlined ...Category
1990s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Azzedine Alaia charcoal grey molten wool trouser suit, fw 1987By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBPresenting an exquisite Azzedine Alaia charcoal grey molten wool trouser suit, a true masterpiece from the autumn-winter 1987 collection. This suit exemplifies the designer's impecca...Category
1980s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Vivienne Westwood cotton cropped jacket and bondage pant suit, S / S 1993By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB- Oversized cropped jacket - Pants with bondage straps, velcro and zip fastenings Spring-Summer 1993Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood blue and red striped skirt, blouse and tie ensemble ss 1996By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBOriginal Vivienne Westwood Gold Label ensemble featuring a blue an d red striped skirt, blouse, and very rare wide tie. Spring-summer 1996 Measurements: Shirt (UK 12) Shoulder - 2...Category
1990s British Skirt Suits
- Vivienne Westwood blue striped Harris Tweed skirt suit, fw 1996By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood Harris Tweed skirt suit ▪ 100% wool ▪ Blue, navy and white stripes ▪ Single-breasted blazer jacket ▪ Two fron...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Worlds End mens pantsuit, pirate collection, circa 1981By Worlds End, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLarenLocated in London, GBA rare pantsuit by Worlds End, designed by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Mclaren, circa 1981. Pirate inspired design, blue, white and green striped cotto...Category
1980s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- S/S 2000 Gucci by Tom Ford Black White Snake Logo Print Viscose Skirt SetBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting an incredible grey snakeskin Gucci skirt set, designed by Tom Ford. From the Spring/Summer 2000 collection, this snakeskin print was heavily...Category
Early 2000s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- S/S 2000 Gucci by Tom Ford Black White Snakeskin Logo Print Viscose Pant SetBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous grey snake print Gucci pant set, designed by Tom Ford. From the Spring/Summer 2000 collection, the season's runway was covered in the identical snakeskin print ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- S/S 2000 Gucci by Tom Ford Black White Snakeskin Logo Print Viscose Pant SetBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous grey snake print Gucci pant set, designed by Tom Ford. From the Spring/Summer 2000 collection, the season's runway was covered in the identical snakeskin print ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Edwardian White Embroidered Cotton Poplin Nightshirt Sleep Shirt - M, 1910sLocated in Tucson, AZIdentical to a contemporary button-front night shirt except this one is over 100 years old and conjures images of a Charles Dickens novel. As bright, white and crisp as it was when i...Category
1910s Unknown Nightgowns
- Geoffrey Beene Floral Cloque Silk & Sheer Silk Top & Yoke Hip Maxi Skirt 1970sBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in West Palm Beach, FLGeoffrey Beene floral cloque silk with off white sheer upper bodice, front & back from the 1970s. Lightweight silk with a texture, in a beautiful floral print The top has raglan slee...Category
1970s American Maxi Dresses
- 1960s Romper Large Size Navy + White Striped Cotton Vintage 60s Skort DressLocated in San Diego, CAStylish 1960s large size navy blue and white striped romper, with skirt over ! Features flattering vertical stripes down the front and back. Contrasting horizontal stripes on sleeves...Category
1960s American Jumpsuits
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.