Gianni Versace turquoise orchid print rayon jersey maxi dress, ss 1999
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 38 - FR 34 - UK 6 - US 2 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140211964892
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Emanuel Ungaro blue and gold silk chiffon bias cut evening dress, c. 2000By Emanuel UngaroLocated in London, GB▪ Emanuel Ungaro evening dress ▪ Blue silk chiffon with metallic gold jacquard polkadots ▪ Asymmetric hemline ▪ Cowl neck ▪ Spaghetti straps ▪ IT 38 - FR 34 - UK 6 ▪ c. 2000 ▪ 10...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Olivier Guillemin turquoise crepe evening gown with train, c. 1980sLocated in London, GBc. 1980sCategory
1980s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Issey Miyake blue silk dress with drapedmesh overlay, ss 2005By Issey MiyakeLocated in London, GB▪ Issey Miyake blue silk mesh ▪ Draped mesh overlay ▪ Floral corsages ▪ Asymmetric neck and hemline ▪ Size JP 2 - Medium ▪ Spring-Summer 2005 ▪ 100% Silk ▪ Made in JapanCategory
Early 2000s Japanese Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace aqua blue felted wool and gold lace top and skirt set, ss 1999By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace aqua blue felted wool top and skirt set ▪ Designed by Donatella Versace ▪ Felted wool with metallic gold lace underlay ▪ Nude mesh ...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Dessès haute couture emerald and gold silk brocade evening dress, c. 1962By Jean DessèsLocated in London, GBPresenting an exquisite haute couture evening gown by the legendary Jean Dessès, a true marvel from the fashion realm, dating back to the illustrious era of 1962. Prepare to be capti...Category
1960s Greek Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Roberto Cavalli blue and purple acid wash silk open back maxi dress, ss 1999By Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GB▪ Roberto Cavalli blue and purple silk maxi dress ▪ Acid wash print with gold glitter ▪ Open back with drape ▪ V neck ▪ Long ties with crystal...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1990s Thierry Mugler Indigo and Black Velvet DressBy Thierry Mugler CoutureLocated in London, GBThis incredible 1990s Mugler dress creates the most flattering and feminine silhouette for the wearer. Made from thick black velvet with indigo blue, almost purple fabric panelling, ...Category
1990s French Sheath Dresses
- ELIE SAAB Sleeveless Evening dress in Blue Silk Size 38FRBy Elie SaabLocated in Paris, FRSublime Elie Saab sleeveless evening dress in blue blend silk. It consists of a cobalt blue lace top on a nude bottom with a button-down shirt collar. The...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Gucci F/W 2005 Runway Plunging Neckline Cutout Back Silk Blue DressBy GucciLocated in Naples, FLGucci F/W 2005 Runway Plunging Neckline Cutout Back Silk Blue Dress IT 42 Look 31 from the Fall 2005 Collection. Gucci cobalt blue silk high collar sl...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Long blue evening dress draped on the bust Emmanuel UngaroBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRLong blue evening dress draped on the bust.Metal buckle on the adjustable shoulder strap. Split in the middle back lenght: 70 cm Bra lining. Zip and hook&eye in the middle back. Bon...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
- Blue jersey cocktail mini-dress with rhinestone embellishment BlugirlBy BlugirlLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlue jersey cocktail mini-dress with rhinestone embellishment on the neckline and bust. Fabric composition: 92% polyamide, 8% elastane. Button covered with the same fabric and butto...Category
2010s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- VERA WANG White Tulle & Lace Wedding Gown With Gathered Bustier Size 4 10KBy Vera WangLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Vera Wang wedding gown is composed of layers of white tulle and lace . The bodice features a gathered detailing with a boned interior and center back zipper closure. In excellen...Category
20th Century American Wedding Dresses
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.
Vivienne Westwood’s Punk Spirit Lives On in This ’90s Tartan Ensemble
The shorts suit in a mash-up of patterns with an asymmetrical cut speaks to the designer’s rebellious spirit.