Versace Spring 2008 Runway Purple Blue Cape Back Jersey Avant Garde Dress Sz 42
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 42 / US 6 / 8 (EU)Shoulder to Hem: 38 in (96.52 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU66218246082
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: San Diego, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Vicky Tiel Couture Vintage Navy Blue Strapless Jersey + Lace + Sequin Sexy DressBy Vicky TielLocated in San Diego, CASexy vintage VIKY TIEL COUTURE 1990s / 90s navy blue ruched strapless mini jersey dress! Features flattering ruching throughout the front. Navy blue French Chantilly lace and sequine...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage Mollie Parnis 1970s Blue and White Novelty 70s Linen + Cotton DressBy Mollie ParnisLocated in San Diego, CAFrom the queen of dressing First Ladies, comes this wonderfully chic 1970s vintage MOLLIE PARNIS blue and white nautical linen/cotton dress ! Fea...Category
1970s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1960s House of Bianchi Demi Couture Turquoise Blue Silk Brocade Vintage 60s GownLocated in San Diego, CAGorgeous early 60s HOUSE OF BIANCHI turquoise blue silk brocade short sleeve gown / dress ! Features a vibrant turquoise blue silk with lighter green ...Category
1960s American Evening Gowns
- Ad Campaign Yves Saint Laurent YSL Fall / Winter 2008 Turquoise Blue DressBy Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in San Diego, CAAd Campaign with Kate Moss ( in the gray version ) YVES SAINT LAURENT by Stefano Pilati turquoise blue avant garde strapless wool felt dress ! Julianne Moore...Category
Early 2000s French Cocktail Dresses
- 1990s Royal Cobalt Blue Lace Long Sleeve Floral Bodycon Vintage 90s DressLocated in San Diego, CASexy yet classy 1990s royal / cobalt blue lace long sleeve bodycon dress! Features a vibrant color blue that looks great on any skin tone. Stretch matte jersey base with lace overlay...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage Flora Kung Size 6 Blue + Teal + Black Flowers Silk Ruched DressBy Flora KungLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful vintage Flora Kung dress! Signature florals and vibrant colors Kung was so well known for. Ruching at waist makes for a very flatter...Category
1980s Cocktail Dresses
- 1960's Silk Chiffon Halterneck DressLocated in Geneva, CHA wonderful example of early 60’s couture, this halterneck steel blue dress will fit perfectly for a wedding or any party event ! Constructed both in silk and satin silk, this piece features a bustier bodice which is covered with two softly ruched silk chiffon strips. The bustier underdress, with its sweetheart neckline, conceals a large modern internal elasticated belt for extra support to the boned structure. As light as air, a fully gathered chiffon skirt provides a very feminine silhouette. This airy dress...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- Givenchy Spaghetti Strap Blue Sequins Cocktail Dress, 1960sBy GivenchyLocated in Beverly Hills, CABeautiful Vintage Givenchy late 60s cobalt blue,green and purple spaghetti strap cocktail dress completely covered in hand stitched sequins. Very flat...Category
1960s French Evening Gowns
- Versace Silk Halter Dress with EmbroideryBy Donatella Versace, VersaceLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous fine stretch silk halter dress from Versace with a colorful pink lily print on a turquoise background. The halter neck and bust area are compris...Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Pierre Cardin 1960s Silk DressBy Pierre CardinLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous 1960's silk dress from Pierre Cardin in a brightly colored abstract print in blues, green, fuchsia and white. It has semi sheer full sleeves which gather at the wrists. Th...Category
1970s French Day Dresses
- Gianni Versace Net Shoulders Bodycon DressBy Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous purple dress from Gianni Versace Couture. It is semi fitted, sleeveless with a scoop neckline and matching purple mesh insets at the shoulders. The dress is fully lined in...Category
Early 2000s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Vicky Tiel Ruched Strapless DressBy Vicky TielLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous stretch silk net dress from Vicky Tiel Couture in a beautiful shade of green. It has a boned strapless corset style bodice wrapped flatteringly with ruching crisscrossing ...Category
1990s French Day Dresses