1990s Gianni Versace Couture Butterfly Silk Shirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Length: 30.5 in (77.47 cm)Bust: 48 in (121.92 cm)Waist: 46 in (116.84 cm)Hip: 44 in (111.76 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU228211546662
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: Toronto, Canada
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1990s Emilio Pucci Pastel Floral Silk ShirtBy Emilio PucciLocated in Toronto, OntarioEmilio Pucci silk shirt from the 1990s. A pastel mix of pale purples, blues and pinks in an abstract 1960's inspired floral print. Billowy bishop sleeves and slits at hem of both sid...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- 1990s Oscar De La Rent Leaf Print ShirtBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in Toronto, Ontario1990s Oscar de la Renta blouse. Black and cream with a tiny leaf print throughout. Crew neckline, flat pleated front with button closures up centre back seam and bishop sleeves. Loos...Category
1990s American Blouses and Tops
- 1970s Adolfo Gold Lace Beaded Evening TunicBy AdolfoLocated in Toronto, OntarioExquisite Adolfo gold lace beaded evening tunic from the 1970s. Beautifully detailed with gold sequin applique throughout and faux pearl, emerald marquis bead and gold thread trim along the collar, front placket, cuffs and hem. Fastens with a hidden zipper down the front. Perfect worn with a simple black slip or over a black tank top and black cigarette pants...Category
1970s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1990s Giorgio Armani Black and Grey Velvet Paisley BlouseBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in Toronto, OntarioBeautiful and bohemian 1990s Giorgio Armani blouse. Black, grey and blue velvet paisley all over. Loose trumpet shaped sleeves and a-line bodice create ...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- 1970s Ungaro Red Sequin TopBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Toronto, OntarioEmanuel Ungaro 1970s red sequin top with black ribbing at the cuffs and hem. The fit is blouson, almost sweatshirt style, with a black stain trimmed yoke ...Category
1970s Italian Balloon Sleeve Blouses
- 1990s Hermes Nautical Print Cotton Silk Blend T-ShirtBy HermèsLocated in Toronto, OntarioSilk cotton blend Hermes t-shirt from the 1990s. Allover abstract row boat and rope nautical print in black, brown, tan, yellow and white. Crew neckline and s...Category
1990s French T-Shirts
- christian dior by john galliano “miss dior” dressBy John Galliano, Christian DiorLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILVery rare Christian Dior white dress by John Galliano with Miss Dior logo in black. Country: France Period: 21st Century Specifications: Size FR 38.Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Sleeveless Shirts
- John Galliano For Christian Dior Trotter Logo T-ShirtBy John GallianoLocated in Hoffman Estates, ILVery rare John Galliano for Christian Dior trotter logo t-shirt with No.2 on the left corner. Specifications: French size 40Category
21st Century and Contemporary French T-Shirts
- KENZO JUNGLE Koi fish mesh Club Kid Shirt, late 1990sBy Kenzo, Kenzo JungleLocated in Genève, CH1990's Kenzo Jeans sheer stretch t-shirt with lovely Japanese theme print in a wonderful turquoise. Fabric is a sheer nylon stretch mesh, the kind that Gaultier made famous, and come...Category
1990s French T-Shirts
- 1974 Vivienne Westwood x Malcolm McClaren SEX tank topBy Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne WestwoodLocated in Berlin, BEArchive tank top, 100% Cotton Length 47 cm, Width 36cm. Made in London, England. Museum worthy archive item. • Located in the 430 King’s Road, Vivienne Westwood opened SEX shop...Category
1970s English Tank Tops
- Chanel Fall 1998 Striped Knit TankBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYSuper Rare & Coveted. Fall 1998 Chanel Black & White Striped Knit Tank Top Shoulders 13 in Bust 34 in Waist 34 in Length 24 in Marked Size IT 42 Excellent Vintage Condition. Can acc...Category
1990s Tank Tops
- Céline by Phoebe Philo Slack split panel bustier strapless top, fw 2011By Celine, Phoebe PhiloLocated in Milano, IT- Runway Look 31 - Sold by Skof.Archive - Designed by Phoebe Philo - Strapless top with bustier at interior dual zipper - Fall Winter 2011 Size : FR 40 - EN 44 - UK 12 - US 8 (EU...Category
2010s French Bustiers