Versace
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.
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” — as 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, 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 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 Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses, accessories and more on 1stDibs.
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Versace
Marble, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Versace
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Versace
Crystal
1970s German Vintage Versace
Porcelain
1990s Versace
Ormolu
1980s Italian Baroque Vintage Versace
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Baroque Revival Versace
Cotton
1990s German Versace
Ceramic, Porcelain
Late 20th Century Italian Baroque Revival Versace
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Baroque Revival Versace
Cotton
Late 20th Century Italian Versace
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Versace
Leather
1980s Italian Modern Vintage Versace
Crystal
Late 20th Century American Versace
Crystal
Late 20th Century German Modern Versace
Ceramic
Early 2000s Italian Versace
Late 20th Century Italian Versace
Gold Leaf
1990s German Versace
Ceramic, Porcelain
1990s Modern Versace
Brass
Late 20th Century Italian Neoclassical Revival Versace
Silver Leaf
Late 20th Century Italian Versace
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Baroque Revival Versace
Cotton
20th Century Unknown Art Nouveau Versace
Bronze
1980s Italian Vintage Versace
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Baroque Revival Versace
Cotton
1980s Vintage Versace
Mirror, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Versace
Marble, Metal, Brass
Mid-20th Century Classical Roman Versace
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Versace
Metal
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Versace
Metal
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinese Chippendale Versace
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Versace
Brass
Mid-20th Century American American Colonial Versace
Brass, Metal
Late 20th Century American Hollywood Regency Versace
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Versace
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 20th Century Philippine Versace
Bronze
Late 20th Century Asian Chinoiserie Versace
Metal
Late 20th Century Asian Chinoiserie Versace
Brass
Versace furniture for sale on 1stDibs
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