VERSATILE by GIANNI VERSACE Vintage Iconic Medusa and Greek Chain Belt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Usual scratches on the metal surface.
- Seller Location:Nice, FR
- Reference Number:
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: Nice, France
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Karl Lagerfeld Vintage White Leather Belt with Gold Toned HandbagsBy Karl LagerfeldLocated in Nice, FRKARL LAGERFELD vintage white leather belt belt featuring gold toned handbags embossed KL. Marked KARL LAGERFELD Paris. Made in Italy. Indi...Category
20th Century French Belts
- Jose Cotel Vintage 1985 Ethnic Inspired Belt Necklace with Claw CharmsBy Jose CotelLocated in Nice, FRJOSE COTEL vintage rare ethnic inspired silver tone chain belt featuring three openwork medallions embellished with faux pearls, resin crystals and claw charms...Category
20th Century French Belts
- Yves Saint Laurent Vintage White Leather and Chain BeltBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Nice, FRYVES SAINT LAURENT vintage belt featuring a gold toned chunky double chain, white leather strap and YSL star charm. Marked YVES SAINT...Category
20th Century Belts
- Vintage Gold Toned Metal Belt with CharmsLocated in Nice, FRGorgeous vintage gold toned metal belt featuring seven charms (heart, cross, sun). Unsigned but close to CHRISTIAN LACROIX work. Hook closure. Extension chain. Indicative measurem...Category
20th Century French Belts
- Chanel Vintage Ladybug, Mademoiselle Profile and Clover Gold Toned Coin BeltBy ChanelLocated in Nice, FRCHANEL vintage gold toned chain belt featuring some iconic symbols of the House : ladybug, clover and Mademoiselle profile. Similar model worn at CHANEL Haute Couture 1986 Spring-...Category
20th Century French Belts
- Chanel Black Patent Leather Corset Belt Fall/Winter 2001 Size 36By ChanelLocated in Nice, FRCHANEL black patent lambskin leather corset belt from the Fall/Winter 2001 Ready-to-Wear Collection. This item features : - Black patent lambskin leather. - Black silk lining. - Bac...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Belts
- Chanel Vintage 90’s Runway Rhinestone CC Diamond BeltBy ChanelLocated in Miami, FLChanel Vintage Logo Rhinestone Belt Gold plated brass logo rhinestone belt from Chanel Vintage featuring a logo to the front Made in FranceCategory
1990s French Belts
- 1990's Versace Safety Pin BeltBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Glasgow, GBVintage Leather Gianni Versace safety pin belt. Black leather with silver toned buckle embossed with silver logo stamp featuring head of medusa...Category
1990s Italian Belts
- Gianni Versace 1990s zebra print metal belt with diamantesBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Nottingham, GBGianni Versace is know for his use of bold prints. This metal silver tone belt from his 1990s era highlights just what the designer i known for. The belt features 17 circular links w...Category
1990s Italian Belts
- Guadalajara Mexico Sterling Silver & 10K Rose Gold Belt BuckleLocated in New York, NYBeautiful Mayan Imagery Belt Buckle The Belt Buckle is from Guadalajara Mexico by JCL The buckle is Sterling Silver and 10K Rose Gold The buckle measures 2.25" x 1" The buckle weighs...Category
20th Century Mexican Belts
- Gianni Versace Silver-Toned Medusa Leather BeltBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis is one from the Gianni Versace original archives! Don't miss out! This is a Gianni Versace crocodile black leather belt with bold and chunky silver-toned metal Medusa belt clasp (5x4cm). Elevate any simple outfit by pairing it with cool accessories! Pair with some Gucci jeans and Prada boots...Category
1990s Italian Belts
- Kathrine Baumann Swarovski Moon Belt BuckleBy Kathrine Baumann Beverly HillsLocated in Scottsdale, AZAdd some GLAM to your belt buckle collection! Catch someone's attention from across the room with the sparkle. This intricate moon belt buckle is desi...Category
1990s American Belts