1980's Gianni Versace Black Leather Skirt with Tiered Hem Detail
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 23 in (58.42 cm)Waist: 28 in (71.12 cm)Hip: 34.5 in (87.63 cm)
- Style:1980s (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Toronto, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU22823322213
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.
- 2000s Sonia Rykiel Black Ruffle High Low SkirtBy Sonia RykielLocated in Toronto, OntarioFabulous Sonia Rykiel skirt from the 2000s. This piece is over the top, in the most perfect way. High waisted, wrap style with a diagonal cargo pocket and a large ruffled hem. A smal...Category
Early 2000s French Ruffled Skirts
- 1970s Celine Navy Wool Gabardine Pleated SkirtBy CelineLocated in Toronto, Ontario1970's classic Celine navy blue wool gabardine skirt with half navy leather and gold belt at waistband. Inverted stitched pleats on the front and back. Overall A line shape. In excellent condition, side zipper with hook and eye. Fits like a US size 4. Made in France. Iconic 1970's piece that has inspired the current Celine runway...Category
1970s French Pleated Skirts
- 1970's Marelli Black Wool Gabardine Pleated SkirtLocated in Toronto, Ontario1970's Marelli black wool gabardine skirt with half black leather and gold button belt at waistband. Gold Marelli logo at centre front of belt surrounded by 4 gilt metal Marelli M lo...Category
1970s Italian A-Line Skirts
- 1980s Hermes Grey Wool Skirt with Leather DetailBy HermèsLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980s Hermes grey wool skirt. High waisted with slight a-line shape with centre inverted box pleat. Tan leather detail at waist with tonal top stitching and silver metal buckles. Midi length. Side zipper with hook and eye. Excellent vintage condition. Marked FR size 42...Category
1980s French A-Line Skirts
- 1990s Gianni Versace Black Silk Chiffon SkirtBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Toronto, OntarioYour classic LBS (little back skirt) from the early 1990's by Gianni Versace. High waisted with a black silk satin waist band and black pleated silk chiffon skirt...Category
1990s Italian A-Line Skirts
- 1970s Celine Black Pleated SkirtBy CelineLocated in Toronto, Ontario1970's classic Celine black viscose and silk skirt with half black leather and gold belt at waistband. Inverted stitched pleats on the front and back. Overall A line shape. In excellent condition, side zipper with hook and eye. Fits like a US size 2. Made in France. Iconic 1970's piece that has inspired the current Celine runway...Category
1970s French A-Line Skirts
- JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 1990 fringed denim skirt - part of a setBy Gaultier JeansLocated in Genève, CHBlue denim skirt with fringe trim by Jean Paul Gaultier, wear yours with the matching shirt. -Frayed fringe details along seams and hems -Metal zipper and logo on the side -100% Cot...Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- John Galliano SS-2011 Wool Ruffled Hem Knee Length SkirtBy John GallianoLocated in Brussels, BEThe genius of John Galliano was his ability to make even the most traditional shapes alluring and seductive, adding his own personal twist to classical dressing. This stylish knee le...Category
2010s French Skirts
- Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford SS-02 Cotton Laced Safari Skirt with Leopard TrimBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Tom Ford for Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Brussels, BEThe sexy pencil skirt was a piece that Carine Roitfeld, Tom Ford’s longtime stylist and former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief, made quite popular in the early noughties. Roitfeld was obsessed with the rigor and discipline of uniforms, but she kept looking for ways to add eroticism to strictly tailored clothes. This military-inspired skirt -with its sensual trim of leopard print chiffon- was an obvious choice for her and hasn’t lost any of its relevance. This is a version of skirt Look 2 as seen on the runway spring/summer 2002, ready-to-wear, model Rie Rasmussen 100% cotton in brown Leopard trim...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pencil Skirts
- Dries Van Noten Skirt with SlipBy Dries van NotenLocated in Los Angeles, CABlack maxi skirt with white dettachable slip. Read zipper closure. Back slit. Wool. Made in Belgium. *Condition: Excellent vintage condition. No visible flaws. Measurements Taken L...Category
Early 2000s Skirts
- Gucci by Tom Ford beige mesh tulle overlay bodycon skirt , ss 2001By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in Milano, IT- Designed by Tom Ford - Sold by Skof.Archive - Black tulle overlay with tactfully placed seams - Hidden zipper on the back - Spring Summer 2001 Size : FR 36 - IT 40 - UK 8 - US ...Category
Early 2000s Italian Pencil Skirts
- Vivienne Westwood Vintage Red Label Petals Purple Wool SkirtBy RED LABEL by VIVIENNE WESTWOODLocated in Berlin, DEEarly 1990s Vivienne Westwood Red Label 95% lambs wool asymmetrical petals skirt. Everything you expect from early Westwood a little weird and a whole lot wonderful. High quality detailing and construction. Perfect boxy but chic shape and super high-waisted. So fun for styling. Tag Size: 42 but vintage so...Category
1990s Unknown Puff Skirts