Gianni Versace Couture 1990 Vintage Black Jumpsuit With Ruching
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Italian 40 See Description (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- 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.
Gianni Versace Couture
Subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive, Gianni Versace’s (1946–97) designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” the legendary Italian couturier once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.
Today, vintage Versace clothing, handbags and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant. The designer debuted his Atelier Versace line — which was part of the first Versace haute couture collection — in 1989.
More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration. In fact, 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! '90” — the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace was born in Reggio di 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, Versace 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 1989's Gianni Versace Couture — 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. This 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 Couture bags, 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.
- 1980s Escada Navy Blue & Green 3 pc Trouser Pant Suit & Animal Print Silk BlouseBy Escada, Margaretha LeyLocated in Portland, ORWe love vintage Escada! There is nothing quite like their silk blouses and suits! This 3 piece fine merino wool outfit includes a pair of high waisted trousers, a silk animal print ...Category
1980s German Trouser Pant Suits
- Versace Jeans Couture Rayon Kimono Novelty Print High Waist PantsBy VersaceLocated in Portland, ORThese are rare Versace Jeans couture pants in a Rayon Kimono novelty print. The pants have jeans styling but flow more like trousers. The pattern has blue, red, and yellow designs on black and white...Category
1990s Italian Jeans
- Vintage 1960s 1970s Silver Sparkle Palazzo Jumpsuit Evening Dress AlternativeLocated in Portland, ORThis shimmering vintage late 1960's or early 1970's silver sparkle jumpsuit would make a perfect evening dress alternative! The wide palazzo legs are knife pleated and there are gorgeous rhinestones around the waist. This jumpsuit would be so easy to wear to any special evening event and it is so comfortable! We love finding unlabeled vintage pieces like these with so many unique details and this one is really special! This fun lurex jumpsuit...Category
1960s American Jumpsuits
- Oscar de la Renta Black Silk Sequin Evening Pants Size 10By Oscar De La RentaLocated in Portland, ORThis pair of Oscar de la Renta evening trousers are perfect to wear to a special event with a dressy top as an evening dress alternative. The pants are a size 10 and appear to have only been worn once, if ever. Beautiful rows of shimmering black sequins on silk fabric and the pants are lined in polyester. The pants have the OSCAR by Oscar de la Renta...Category
1990s Chinese Pants
- Yves Saint Laurent YSL Vintage Deep Purple Cotton Trousers W Self Tie Sash BeltBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThese vintage Yves Saint Laurent purple cotton trousers are anything but ordinary! The color is the perfect rich, jewel tone saturated purple and we fell in love the with attached sa...Category
1980s European Pants
- Vintage Gianni Versace Jeans Couture Acanthus Pattern Medusa Head PantsBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Portland, ORThese early 1990s vintage Versace jeans feature rare acanthus leaf print with the Versace signature Medusa heads! The pants are in a pretty light blue accented with shades green, pur...Category
1990s Italian Jeans
- Moschino Printed Peace & Love Monogram 90's TrousersBy MoschinoLocated in London, GBMoschino Printed Jeans Peace & Love Monogram 90's Trousers 90s Nostalgia Design. CONDITION: This item is a vintage/pre-worn piece so some signs of natural wear and age are to be...Category
1990s Pants
- Christian Lacroix Jeans Vintage Velvet High Waisted PantsBy Christian LacroixLocated in London, GBChristian Lacroix Jeans Vintage Velvet High Waisted Pants CONDITION: This item is a vintage/pre-worn piece so some signs of natural wear and age are to be expected. However good ge...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pants
- Jean-Paul Gaultier 1997 Printed Eye of Horus and Scarab Egyptian TrousersBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBJean-Paul Gaultier 1997 Printed Eye of Horus and Scarab Egyptian Trousers Vintage Iconic Print JPG Piece Lightweight Stretchy Material CONDITION: Th...Category
1990s Pants
- Versace Vintage Deadstock 90's High Waist JeansBy Versace Jeans CoutureLocated in London, GBVersace Vintage Deadstock 90's High Waist Jeans Lime Green High Waisted Trousers. CONDITION: This item is a vintage headstock piece so some signs of ver minor natural wear and age...Category
1990s Jeans
- Fendi Trousers Leopard High-Waisted JeansBy FendiLocated in London, GBFendi Trousers Leopard High-Waisted Jeans Classic Zucca Leopard Print CONDITION: This item is a vintage/pre-worn piece so some signs of natural wear and age are to be expected. H...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pants
- Moschino Sun Printed Jeans VintageBy MoschinoLocated in London, GBMoschino Sun Printed Jeans Very Rare Sun Peace and Love 90's Trousers 90s Nostalgia Design. High Rise CONDITION: This item is a vintage/pre-worn piece so some signs of natural w...Category
1990s Pants