Gianfranco Ferre Leather Jacket

Remembered fondly with a nod to his architecture education as the “Frank Lloyd Wright of Italian Fashion” and the “Architect of Fashion,” Milanese designer Gianfranco Ferré spent a lifetime creating handbags, dresses, jackets and other garments and accessories that were defined by meticulous tailoring and crisp geometry. Designing the iconic Lady Dior handbag after being named artistic director at Dior during the late 1980s is only one of Ferré’s impressive achievements in the fashion industry.

Ferré was born in Legnano and was raised by his mother and two aunts. He studied architecture at Milan Polytechnic but had a love for fashion, and made belts and other items for female friends in his classes. He graduated in 1969.

Ferré’s accessories caught the eye of Rosy Biffi, who operated boutiques in Milan with her sister, Adele. He was encouraged by Biffi to create clothing, and soon began creating jewelry and accessories for Christiane Bailly and Walter Albini. The latter is an unsung hero of 20th-century fashion, while Bailly was part of a small group of prominent young stylistes who helped build a sterling reputation for French ready-to-wear fashion during the 1960s. Ferré’s work was photographed by Italian Vogue, and he secured commissions from the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Elio Fiorucci.

Ferré appreciated other cultures and drew inspiration from his travels abroad. His most influential trip — a years-long stint in India — saw him bringing bright colors and patterns to his evening dresses and day dresses. While there he created a collection for the Genoa-based San Giorgio Impermeabili. Ferrè designed for brands such as Les Grenouilles and Baila, and met with Italian businessman and clothing manufacturer Franco Mattioli, who would become an important collaborator. 

In 1978, Ferré and Mattioli became equal business partners in establishing Ferré’s own label, for which he designed women’s ready-to-wear and menswear collections in Milan. In 1983, he was named the first professor of fashion at the Domus Academy. 

While teaching, Ferré won the Occhio d’Oro — Italy’s award for best fashion designer — six times. In 1986, he introduced his first women’s fragrance, his first couture and fur collections, and a new line called Studio 00l. A few years later, Bernard Arnault, owner of Christian Dior, appointed him artistic director. 

It was unexpected for an Italian to be given the job at Dior — one of fashion’s most coveted roles — as that position traditionally went to French designers. There, as Marc Bohan’s successor, Ferré created luxurious and striking gowns that drew on his architecture studies in their sculptural forms while celebrating the long history of the legendary house. He revisited the nipped-waist silhouettes of Dior’s postwar years, and his work dazzled onlookers and exuded femininity. Ferré won the Dé d'Or prize in 1989 for his first collection at the label.

In the early 1990s, Ferré designed the Lady Dior handbag (prior to its 1995 debut, it was called the Chouchou). The boxy top-handled accessory soared to immense popularity after French first lady Bernadette Chirac gave a version in black leather to Diana, Princess of Wales. Each bag, which was eventually named for the Princess, is made from 130 pieces of leather and worked on by seven Dior craftsmen who spend at least eight hours perfecting it. 

On 1stDibs, find a collection of vintage Gianfranco Ferré clothing, accessories and handbags and purses.

No matter if you’re preparing for a fashion event or a weather event — you’re going to need a good jacket.

What would become the modern jacket as we know it began as a strictly professional item. A lot of the vintage and designer jackets (and coat styles such as the Navy-inspired peacoat) in our closets were likely popularized by soldiers who battled aggressive climes with their regulation field jackets, bombers and parkas buttoned or zipped to the chin. Indeed, keeping troopers comfortable guided the design of the military surplus garments that have often become buzzy fashion trends. But now, jackets add far more than warmth to our wardrobe, and we hunt down outer layers branded with peerless fashion labels.

Fashion’s most iconic creations, despite their age, remain modern: Biker jackets originated in the 1920s, Balenciaga’s celebrated puffers are steeped in a tradition of down coats that began in the 1930s and your vintage denim jacket has come an even longer way, from California Gold Rush to wardrobe staple. Jeans bequeathed jean jackets during the 1880s, thanks to Levi Strauss, who crafted the former as a durable garment to be worn by miners and railroad workers. Later, jeans and jean jackets became synonymous with nonconformity and rebelliousness — with fashion legends such as actor James Dean in the 1950s and model Veruschka in the 1960s and ’70s leading the indigo-toned charge.

Another fashion rebel, Coco Chanel, used the classic tweed jacket to introduce more comfort and mobility into women’s daily lives. Debuting in 1954 and based on a cardigan, the groundbreaking Chanel jacket forever changed what women wear. The garment reacted against the fitted, constricting styles of Christian Dior’s New Look, which, as Chanel saw it, was making women dress like decorative objects.

On 1stDibs, find bold collections from cutting-edge contemporary designers who’ve taken the classic silhouette of the jacket to new heights or build out your array of vintage treasures (denim or otherwise) with dazzlers from Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace, Moschino and more.