Documented Versace Silk-Twill Baroque Print Shirt Blouse, Fall-Winter 1991
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 27.52 in (69.91 cm)Marked Size: IT40 (US 4) but runs a bit big (EU)Shoulder to Hem: 25.98 in (65.99 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Excellent pre-loved condition. Looks hardly worn. Little bit of wear at the back of the oversized buttons. One of the six hidden buttons was missing and has been replaced.
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- 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.
Gianni Versace Couture
Subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive, Gianni Versace’s (1946–97) designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” the legendary Italian couturier once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.
Today, vintage Versace clothing, handbags and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant. The designer debuted his Atelier Versace line — which was part of the first Versace haute couture collection — in 1989.
More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration. In fact, 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! '90” — the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace was born in Reggio di 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, Versace 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 1989's Gianni Versace Couture — 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. This 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 Couture bags, dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Lausanne, Switzerland
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Yves Saint Laurent Metallic Polka Dots Evening BlouseBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Geneva, CHThis 70's ruffled boho blouse is constructed of lightweight black silk chiffon woven with gold metallic "fil coupé" polka dots. Cut for a flowing fit, it has a sexy sheer finish. Two...Category
1970s French Blouses and Tops
- Yves Saint Laurent Peasant Blouse TunicBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Geneva, CHLate 70’s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche gypsy blouse. Constructed in antique pink satin cotton, the tunic features three-quarter full sleeves that gather at the shoulders. Elasticat...Category
1970s French Blouses and Tops
- Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Blouse, Circa 1993By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Geneva, CHBased on the 1993 YSL Spring-Summer haute couture collection, this bright floral printed blouse is a genuine ode to the Spring. Cut in organdy silk, this piece features a removable j...Category
1990s French Blouses and Tops
- Rare Yves Saint Laurent Butterfly Print Blouse, Fall-Winter 1971-1972By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Geneva, CHVery rare 70’s burnt orange YSL refined natural silk stand-up collar blouse. Unusual colorful butterfly print. Labelled a French size 38 (US 4-6), the blouse runs a bit small to size...Category
1970s French Balloon Sleeve Blouses
- Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Lame BlouseBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Geneva, CHThis true haute couture treasure from the late 80’s - early 90's is cut in vibrant purple silk-blend lamé with red, blue and silver leaf and floral pattern. Unlined (except in the sh...Category
1980s French Blouses and Tops
- Yves Saint Laurent Runway Floral-Print Silk-Chiffon Shirt Blouse, SS1974By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Geneva, CHWorn on the Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Spring 1974 runway show in various style and color combinations (see pictures 2, 3, 4 & 5), this rare and collectible shirt is cut from lig...Category
1970s French Blouses and Tops
- Givenchy Camouflage Velcro Patch Men's Polo Shirt Size LBy GivenchyLocated in Downey, CAGivenchy Camouflage Velcro Patch Men's Polo Shirt Size L A classic Givenchy polo with an added twist added on with velcro patch areas for you to make th...Category
2010s Portuguese Shirts
- 1920S Black Silk Crepe Asian Floral Beaded Tunic TopLocated in New York, NYVery good condition however there is some shattering to the silk on one arm hole 1920S Black Silk Crepe Asian Floral Beaded Tunic TopCategory
1920s Tunics
- 1960S Red & Yellow Cotton South American Top Appliquéd With Lizard And BirdsLocated in New York, NY1960S Red & Yellow Cotton South American Top Appliquéd With Lizard And BirdsCategory
1960s Blouses and Tops
- Cotton tunique with flowers print Christian DiorBy Christian DiorLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRCotton tunique with flowers print. Mother of pearls buttons. Front total length= 75 cm Back total length= 87 cm SIZE 40 (Fr) 8 (Us)Category
2010s Italian Chemises
- Morphew Collection Black Charmeuse Halter Tie Scarf TopBy MorphewLocated in New York, NYMorphew Collection Black Charmeuse Halter Tie Scarf Top MORPHEW COLLECTION is made entirely by hand in our NYC Ateliér of rare antique materials sourced from around the globe. Our su...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses and Tops
- Morphew Collection Blue, Yellow & Black Geometric Silk Tie Top Made From VintagBy MorphewLocated in New York, NYS-L Morphew Collection Blue, Yellow & Black Geometric Silk Tie Top Made From Vintage Scarf MORPHEW COLLECTION is made entirely by hand in our NYC Ateliér of rare antique materials s...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Blouses and Tops