1990s Gianni Versace Open Back Halter Evening Gown
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: XS (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16114555122
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: Austin, TX
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- 1990s Romeo Gigli Pleated Dress Pockets Square Back 3DBy Romeo GigliLocated in Austin, TX1990s Romeo Gigli Pleated Dress Pockets Square Back 3D condition: Excellent Size MediumCategory
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche by Tom Ford strapless dress with slashesBy Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Austin, TX2003 YVES SAINT LAURENT RIVE GAUCHE BY TOM FORD strapless silk pink dress with cut outs at waist. Condition: Very good sizeCategory
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1991 Dolce & Gabbana Mini Stretch Dress with Silk StrandsBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Austin, TX1991 Dolce & Gabbana mini stretch dress with long silk strands from the back. Buttons up front Condition: Excellent Size XS/ SmallCategory
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white striped trainBy Roland KleinLocated in Austin, TX1980s Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white train. Acetate fabric. 34" bust, 26" waist, 40" hips, 48" front length - 54 1/2" ba...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace Corset Gown RibbonsBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Austin, TXGianni Versace 1990s black stretch evening gown with ribbon corset detail Size L 25" bust, 25" waist, 30" hip, 56.5" length ( un-stretched ) Condition: Excellent Fabric: 65% Polyes...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1988 Stephen Sprouse Sequin GownBy Stephen SprouseLocated in Austin, TX1988 Stephen Sprouse sequin gown with off center racing back. Has stretch. Orange, pink and yellow color Condition: Excellent Size 6Category
1980s American Evening Gowns
- Mariano Fortuny Amethyst Delphos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated amythest colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording. Named after a Greek cla...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
- Ralph Lauren Collection Purple Label Silk Nautical Evening Gown S/S 2016 Size 2By Ralph Lauren Purple LabelLocated in Saint Petersburg, FLRalph Lauren Purple Label - Full length nautical evening gown with voluminous sheer fabric panels. This vibrant gown has a strapless pleated bodice and built in corset with a zipper...Category
2010s American Evening Dresses
- Gianni Versace studded evening dress, c. 1990sBy Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBA Gianni Versace studded silk jersey evening dress from the 1990s. It 42 - Fr 38Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vicky Tiel 1980's Purple Silk Velvet GownBy Vicky TielLocated in Scottsdale, AZA 1980's gem! Make a statement in this electrifying purple maxi-dress in a beautifully soft silk velvet. There are so many smart design features done by Vicky Tiel including an ultra-flattering ruched mid-section, exaggerated shoulder...Category
1980s American Evening Gowns
- Vintage Eggplant Hanae Mori 1980s Wool Dress Size US 6By Hanae MoriLocated in New York, NYVintage eggplant wool long sleeve dress by Hanae Mori. Circa 1980s. V-neck. Gathering at side waist. Zip closure at back. 33" bust, 28" waist, 39" length, 16.5" shoulder width.Category
1980s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Christian Dior by John Galliano fuchsia crepe satin evening dress, fw 1999By Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in London, GB▪ Christian Dior evening dress ▪ Designed by John Galliano ▪ Fuchsia crepe satin ▪ Bias cut ▪ Multiple fabric covered buttons at the side opening ▪ Wide collar extending over the ...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns