Gianni Versace 1980s Asymmetrical Top Purple Abstract Print Shirt w Knit Trim
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: See Description (NA)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Medium Weight Opaque Fabric No Seam Allowance
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Portland, OR
- 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: Beaverton, OR
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Escada Vintage Purple Blue and Pink Silk Abstract Face Profile BlouseBy Escada, Escada Margaretha LeyLocated in Portland, ORThis is a fabulous vintage Escada blouse designed by Margaretha Ley for Escada in the 1980's. The blue, purple and pink silk blouse has an abstra...Category
1980s German Blouses and Tops
- Vintage Charles Jourdan Parallele Color Block Purple 2 pc Top & Cardigan SweaterLocated in Portland, ORWe love this vintage 2 piece set with a short sleeve top and a cardigan from Charles Jourdan Parallele. This vintage 1980's set is made with a similar crochet method used in the 194...Category
1980s French Cardigans
- Escada Saks Fifth Avenue Vintage Silk Blouse in Abstract Pink & Blue Bold PrintBy EscadaLocated in Portland, ORThis vintage silk Escada Blouse has a Versace - esque vibe. The luxurious silk fabric has a pink and blue abstract geometric design and is labeled a size 40, and we estimate this wou...Category
1980s German Blouses
- Gianni Versace Early 1990s Bright Colorful Vintage Silk Print Shirt & Huge ScarfBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Portland, ORThis is a late 1980's or early 1990's vintage Gianni Versace silk shirt in a beautiful mixed pattern print. The shirt comes with its ...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Dynasty 1960s Vintage Silk Chinese Evening Jacket New in Original Box With TagsBy DynastyLocated in Portland, ORThis beautiful champagne silk jacket from Dynasty was purchased at Mandarin Textiles Limited in Hong Kong in the 1960's and is still in its original box! This lovely evening jacket...Category
1960s Hong Kong Jackets
- Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Gold and Black Silk Blouse With Tie At NeckBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis is a beautiful vintage late 1980's or early 1990's Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche copper and black plaid silk blouse. The blouse has a separate sash that can be tied into a knot...Category
1980s European Blouses
- Roberto Cavalli c.2008 Bustier Sequin Embellished Sheer Knit Black Corset TopBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Naples, FLRoberto Cavalli c.2008 Bustier Sequin Embellished Sheer Knit Black Corset Top IT 40 Please note the zipper clasp is missing, however it does not affe...Category
Early 2000s Bustiers
- Prada 2018 Liquid Floral Daisy Bowling Button Up Shirt size LargeBy PradaLocated in Bear, DEPrada Liquid Floral Daisy Bowling Button Up Shirt 2018 Size Large Brand new w/ tags Rare and sought after prada button up As seen on DJ Mustard Measu...Category
2010s Collars
- Gianni Versace Istante S/S 1991 Crystal Embellished Beaded Bustier TopBy Istante by VersaceLocated in Naples, FLGianni Versace Istante S/S 1991 Crystal Embellished Beaded Bustier Top IT 44Category
1990s Shirts
- Versace Istante Leather Bondage Couture Corset Vintage S&M Small Bustier TopBy Gianni VersaceLocated in PARIS, FRIstante crop leather bustier by Gianni Versace! From the 90s! 100% leather! VERY GOOD condition! SIZE Small. Makred size: IT40. Length with straps: 39 cm / 15.3 inch Bust: 39 cm / ...Category
1990s Italian Tank Tops
- Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons Blue and Black Lace Top - SBy Junya Watanabe Comme des GarçonsLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJunya Watanabe Comme des Garcons Blue and Black Lace Top - S. This top is in excellent condition. It has an asymmetrical hemline and is black with a blue, sheer, patterned, overlay. ...Category
2010s Japanese Shirts
- 1990s Betsey Johnson Crocodile Alligator Print Vintage 90s Velour Turtleneck TopBy Betsey JohnsonLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing early 90s BETSEY JONHSON croc / gator print long sleeve stretch velour turtleneck shirt ! Features the softest velour fabric, and simply slips over the head and stretches to ...Category
1990s American Blouses and Tops