Gianni Versace black lace and oroton metal chainmail strapless corset, fw 1999
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 40 - FR 36 - UK 8 - US 4 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140212329402
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.
- Dolce & Gabbana black corseted mini skirt with gold chains and beads, ss 1991By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana black corseted mini skirt ▪ Gold metal chain detail ▪ Beaded tassels ▪ Metal hook closures at centre-back ▪ IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10 - US 6 ▪ Spring-Summer 1991Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- Balmain by Christophe Decarnin black leather safety-pin corset, ss 2011By BalmainLocated in London, GB▪ Balmain black leather safety-pin corset ▪ Designed by Christophe Decarnin ▪ Adorned with silver metal barbell piercings and safety-pins ▪ Patch...Category
2010s French Corsets
- Vivienne Westwood black velvet corset and bustled skirt, fw 1996By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood black velvet evening corset and bustled skirt ensemble Fall-Winter 1996Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier black jacquard cotton lace up corset, ss 2004By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GB▪ Jean Paul Gaultier black jacquard cotton corset ▪ 56% Cotton, 44% Rayon ▪ Tan leather backing ▪ 4 lace up openings ▪ Metal corset hook fasteners at centre front ▪ IT 38 - FR 3...Category
Early 2000s Italian Corsets
- Jean Paul Gaultier grey pinstripe wool three piece corseted pant suit, c. 2000sBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBJean Paul Gaultier grey pinstripe wool three piece suit comprising: blazer jacket with two-way front zipper, corseted waist with lace-up back fastening, wide leg pants, corset with m...Category
Early 2000s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Vivienne Westwood black satin corset with metallic gold pattern, ss 1992By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood black satin corset top ▪ Metallic gold classical figures and motifs inspired by furniture jeweler, André-Charles Boul...Category
1990s British Corsets
- Off-white lingerie bustle with padded-bra and suspender belt Nina RicciBy Nina RicciLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FROff-white lingerie bustle with suspender belt and padded-bra. Boned . Adjustable shoulder-straps and on the bust ( 3 lines of hook&eye) . Laced in the middle front with a satin ribbo...Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Bustles
- Circa 1940's jersey cocktail dress with pink flowers printedLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRjersey cocktail dress with pink flowers printed. Gather in the middle front on the bust, ruffles on the hips, zip on the left side. Size MCategory
1940s American Robes
- Black tulle and lace bustier La PerlaBy La PerlaLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack tulle and lace bustier. Fabric composition: polyamide, polyester, silk, elastane. Underwired bra. Lingerie hook&eye in the middle back (2 lines) Half-padded bra. Adjustable sho...Category
2010s Italian Bustles
- Black night gown with lace insert and satin flower in the middle front CharmodeLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack night gown with lace insert and satin flower in the middle front. No fabric tag, probably nylon. SIZE MCategory
1940s American Lingerie
- Black tulle see-through bodysuit with lace appliqué La Perla ( no brand tag)By La PerlaLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRBlack tulle bodysuit with lace appliqué. No brand tag. Adjustable shoulder straps. Hook& eye on the inseam. SIZE SCategory
2010s Unknown Bodysuits
- Grey mini slip dress with black laces print La Perla Studio 2By La PerlaLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRGrey mini slip dress with black laces print. Fabric composition: nylon & elastane SIZE MCategory
2010s Italian Slips
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.