Gianni Versace Iconic Black Leather Back Cut Out Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 33/40 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Sheung Wan, HK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU32323271873
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: Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Gucci by Tom Ford Black Tunic DressBy GucciLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage Gucci by Tom Ford black tunic dress from spring 1996 collection. This dress was featured in the spring 1996 Gucci campaign as well. Featuring a ...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- Gucci By Tom Ford Mini Black DressBy GucciLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Gucci by Tom Ford iconic 90s mini black dress from Fall 1997 collection. - Featuring a structured shoulder held by shoulder pads, a silver Guc...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses
- 2008 Chanel Black Lace and Knitted Spaghetti Strap DressBy ChanelLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Year 2008p Chanel black spaghetti strap knitted dress featuring a black lace bust area, light knitted in the middle, and knitted bottom. A black rhinestones "CC" logo in front. It...Category
Early 2000s French Day Dresses
- 90s Celine Black Wool V-Shaped Neckline Long DressBy CelineLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Celine black wool long dress. - V-Shaped Neckline. - Slit hem in front. - Back zip closure. - Size 40. - Shoulder: 15 inches. Bust: 3...Category
1990s French Day Dresses
- Limited 2010 Shanghai Chanel Black Cashmere "CC" Sweater DressBy ChanelLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Chanel black cashmere tunic knit sweater dress from PreFall 2010 Shanghai Collection. - Knit detail on front features flowers, "CC" and written in C...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- David Fielden Black and White Floral Print Tube Dress with Bolero Shrug SleevesBy DAVID FIELDENLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s David Fielden black and white silk floral print tube dress with same pattern bolero shrug long sleeves. Featuring a same pattern belt as wel...Category
1990s British Day Dresses
- Antonio Berardi FW-2004 Silk Sleeveless Print DressBy Antonio BerardiLocated in Brussels, BEDespite being born in the UK, Antonio Berardi’s roots are Sicilian ones, explaining his love of drama and femininity. This gorgeous silk dress, which mixes a variety of prints and mo...Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S 1999 Cutout Sheer Mesh Bodycon Black Maxi DressBy Jean Paul Gaultier SoleilLocated in Naples, FLJean Paul Gaultier Soleil S/S 1999 Cutout Sheer Mesh Bodycon Black Maxi Dress Size XS/M Please note size tag has been removed, due to stretch in the mesh material this dress will fi...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Day Dresses
- Versace F/W 2012 Runway Unworn Gothic Cross Embroidered Leather Velvet DressBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVersace F/W 2012 Runway Unworn Gothic Cross Embroidered Leather Velvet Black Dress IT 44 Look 2 from the Spring 2012 Collection. New with TagsCategory
2010s Day Dresses
- 1980s Escada Green Pink Blue & Orange Plaid 2 pc Dress w/ Skirt & Linen TopBy EscadaLocated in Portland, ORThis is a beautiful ensemble from the 1980's designed by Margaretha Ley for Escada. The outfit has a pleated midi length skirt that buttons down the front. It is made of linen in an ...Category
1980s German Day Dresses
- 1970s Albert Nipon Vintage Dress in Black Satin With Ruff CollarBy Albert NiponLocated in Portland, ORThis beautiful vintage dress was designed by Albert Nipon in the 1970's. The dress is black satin with a ruff collar that has rows of topstitching. This is...Category
1970s American Day Dresses
- Black leather and suede bustier dress Michael Hoban North Beach LeatherBy Michael Hoban North Beach LeatherLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack leather and suede bustier dress. Rayon lining. Zip in the middle back. Elastic band on the back of the bust on the top edge. Boned bust. SIZE MCategory
1980s Hong Kong Cocktail Dresses