Gianni Versace S/S 1991 Pop Art Baroque Print Swimsuit Bodysuit & Leggings Set
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Bodysuit: “44”; Leggings: "42" (EU)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent condition with minor signs of wear, consistent with age and use. Photos taken for condition report.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3057217172422
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: Waukegan, IL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Gucci by Tom Ford S/S 1998 "GG" Print Leather Accented Skirt & Denim Jacket SetBy Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Chicago, ILDesigned by Tom Ford for the Gucci Spring/Summer 1998 collection. Skirt features a jacquard Guccissima print throughout. Skirt is accented with genuine alligator leather along waistb...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Skirt Suits
- Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford F/W 2002 Black Silk Evening Jacket & Skirt SuitBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Chicago, ILDesigned by Tom Ford for the Yves Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2002 collection. Runway look #23 (Jacket). Runway looks #4, #6, #12 (Skirt). Black silk taffeta with velvet trim accents. ...Category
Early 2000s French Skirt Suits
- Alexander McQueen S/S 1997 "La Poupée" Mesh Plunge Back Jacket & Zip Skirt SuitBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Chicago, ILRare vintage set from the Spring/Summer 1997 “La Poupée” collection. Both items were shown on the runway. Fitted, single-button blazer jacket with a plunge back mesh insert; one of M...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Gianni Versace S/S 1991 Pop Art Baroque Print Swimsuit Bodysuit & Skirt SetBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Chicago, ILFrom Gianni Versace’s Spring/Summer 1991 “Pop Art” Collection, this rare set features the striking color palette and patterns the collection was famous for. Naomi Campbell graced the...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Alexander McQueen F/W 2006 "The Widows Of Culloden" Wool Jacket & Skirt Suit SetBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Chicago, ILDesigned by Alexander McQueen for the fall/winter 2006 collection; look #15. This gorgeous speckled wool blend suit features a high waisted skirt with an asymmetric back pleated deta...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirt Suits
- Alexander McQueen S/S 2010 "Plato's Atlantis" Snake Print Tank Top Leggings SetBy Alexander McQueenLocated in Chicago, ILAlexander McQueen 2 piece leggings and tank top athleisure set for the Spring/Summer 2010 "Plato's Atlantis" collection. Both items feature the beautifully intricate and body enhancing snake print. This print has been featured in fashion editorials...Category
2010s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- VERSACE JEANS COUTURE vintage 80s Betty Boop jumpsuit and jacketLocated in Rubiera, REVERSACE JEANS COUTURE vintage 80s Betty Boop cartoon pop art print catsuit jumpsuit and jacket Cotton knit jumpsuit, mandarin collar, back zip 88% cotton 12% elastane Size label not ...Category
1980s Jumpsuits
- Dolce & Gabbana cheetah print pants and turtle neck vest set, ss 1996By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBDolce & Gabbana cheetah print pants and turtle neck vest set. Spring-Summer 1996Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Roberto Cavalli multicoloured face printed metallic cotton pant suit, ss 2001By Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GBRoberto Cavalli multicoloured face printed metallic cotton pant suit comprising: blazer jacket and matching low-rise pants. Spring-Summer 2001Category
Early 2000s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Gianni Versace Snakeskin leather biker jacket and mini skirt set, fw 1994By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace; cream snakeskin leather biker jacket and mini skirt. Cropped biker jacket with silk Medusa lining and metal buckle and zip fastenings. High waisted A-Line mini skirt ...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Emilio Pucci nylon floral printed body stocking, Spring-Summer 1966By Emilio PucciLocated in London, GB- Orange, pink, green and white floral print - Deep v-neck Spring-Summer 1966Category
1960s Italian Jumpsuits
- Alexander McQueen ivory wool embroidered skirt suit, c. 1997-1999By Alexander McQueenLocated in London, GB▪ Alexander McQueen ivory wool skirt suit ▪ Long blazer jacket ▪ Multicoloured embroidery ▪ Ribbon piping ▪ Two front pockets ▪ Matching pencil skirt ▪ IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10 - US ...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles