Gianni Versace Couture Black Lambskin with Gold Toned "Medusa" Shoulder Bag
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Width: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)Length: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Sheung Wan, HK
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU32323664393
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.
- Desmo Dark Navy Pleated Wave Pattern Clutch/Shoulder BagLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Desmo dark navy light weight pleated wave pattern clutch/ shoulder bag. - Featuring silver and gold toned hardware outline that support the bag. - Gold toned buckle...Category
1990s Italian Shoulder Bags
- Vintage Chanel White Quilted Lambskin Classic Flap Tortoiseshell Shoulder BagBy ChanelLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Chanel white diamond quilted lambskin single flap shoulder bag with tortoiseshell strap. - Tortoiseshell “CC” hardware turnlock closure. - Back slip pocket. - One ...Category
1990s French Shoulder Bags
- Celine Dark Green Leather Shoulder BagBy CelineLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Celine dark green leather shoulder bag. - Gold-toned hardware “Celine” turn-lock closure. - Red leather interior with zip pocket closure...Category
1990s Italian Bucket Bags and Drawstring Bags
- Pancaldi Colour Blocked Suede Flap Shoulder BagBy PancaldiLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 80s Pancaldi colour blocked (red, blue. pink and yellow trim) suede flap shoulder bag. - Featuring a gold toned chain attached with the black suede shoulder strap. - Fl...Category
1980s Italian Shoulder Bags
- Gucci Camel Lambskin Leather Hobo HandbagBy GucciLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Gucci camel lambskin leather handbag. - Famous hobo style. - Single flat leather handle with gold toned buckles closure. - Interior zip pocket.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Hobo Bags
- Gianni Versace Black Croc Leather Flap Shoulder BagBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Gianni Versace black embossed croc leather flap shoulder bag. - Medusa logo flap with snap button closure. - Silver toned hardware "Medusa" handle. - Detachable c...Category
1990s Italian Shoulder Bags
- Chanel 2018 Green Sequin Jumbo Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in Atlanta, GAMake a dazzling statement with Chanel's green sequin flap bag, adorned with silver hardware and a signature CC turnlock. A zippered pocket within the leather interior ensures your es...Category
2010s French Shoulder Bags
- Chanel Metallic Grey Quilted Leather Reissue 2.55 Classic 226 Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Chanel's Flap Bags are iconic and noteworthy in the history of fashion. Hence, this Reissue 2.55 Classic 226 is a buy that is worth every bit of your splurge. Exquisitely crafted fro...Category
Early 2000s French Shoulder Bags
- Hermes Constance 18 Desert Lizard Bag Palladium HardwareBy HermèsLocated in Miami, FLMightychic offers an Hermes Constance 18 bag featured limited edition Desert Lizard. Exquisite markings with fresh Palladium hardware. HERMES PARIS MADE IN FRANCE is stamped on front under flap. Comes with Hermes sleeper and signature box. NEW or NEVER WORN. The Hermes Constance bag price maintains its value as its among one of the most desired and difficult Hermes bags...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Structured Shoulder Bags
- Anya Hindmarch Multicolored bag size UniqueBy Anya HindmarchLocated in Gazzaniga (BG), ITLeather developed in grey turtledove brown and black Triple internal compartment Inside zip pocket Comes with dustbag Cm 40 x 28 (15.7 x 11 inches) Original price euro 980Category
2010s Italian Hobo Bags
- Chanel Big Bang Chain Flap Bag Metallic Crumpled CalfskinBy ChanelLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis exquisite metallic Chanel bag glistens when it catches light! Chanel presents a modernized rendition of their signature handbag with this diamond quilted crumpled metallic silve...Category
2010s Italian Shoulder Bags
- Dior Saddle Carry On BagBy Christian DiorLocated in Scottsdale, AZAmazing Dior mens shoulder bag with a black leather saddle style closure! In a stunning muted army green color contrasting black leather and silver hardware. This bag is perfect for traveling, featuring a spacious center opening that zips, three pockets on the outside of the front, and a side pocket. The saddle buckles to the bottom to keep your belongings extra secure and to allow for easy accessibility. This bag is great for anyone looking for a a medium size bag...Category
2010s Italian Duffel Bags and Carry-On Bags