VERSACE SS12 white seashell print gold studded scoop neck sheath dress IT40 S
View Similar Items
VERSACE SS12 white seashell print gold studded scoop neck sheath dress IT40 S
About the Item
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” — 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 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. 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.
- vintage ISSEY MIYAKE 1980's beige linen yellow obi belt cowl neck dress M rareBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Hong Kong, NTvintage ISSEY MIYAKE 1980's beige linen yellow obi belt cowl neck dress M rare Reference: TGAS/B00802 Brand: Issey Miyake Designer: Issey Miyake Colle...Category
1980s Japanese Casual Dresses
- DRIES VAN NOTEN pinstripe cotton cupro pink hem shirt dress FR34 XSBy Dries van NotenLocated in Hong Kong, NTDRIES VAN NOTEN pinstripe cotton cupro pink hem shirt dress FR34 XS Reference: CELG/A00165 Brand: Dries Van Noten Designer: Dries Van Noten Material: Cotton Color: Pink Pattern...Category
2010s Casual Dresses
- MARNI 100% silk yellow blue scribble print overstitch cami slip dress IT38 XSBy MarniLocated in Hong Kong, NTMARNI 100% silk yellow blue scribble print overstitch cami slip dress IT38 XS Reference: CELG/A00186 Brand: Marni Material: Silk Color: Yellow Pattern: Geometric Closure: Tie ...Category
2010s Casual Dresses
- MARNI light blue yellow overstitching crinkled viscose round boxy dress IT38 XSBy MarniLocated in Hong Kong, NTMARNI light blue yellow overstitching crinkled viscose round boxy dress IT38 XS Reference: CELG/A00203 Brand: Marni Material: Viscose Color: Blue Pattern: Soli Closure: Button ...Category
2010s Casual Dresses
- MARNI white navy pink swirl floral cotton boat neck long sleeve dress IT40 SBy MarniLocated in Hong Kong, NTMARNI white navy pink swirl floral cotton boat neck long sleeve dress IT40 S Reference: CELG/A00211 Brand: Marni Material: Cotton Color: White Pattern: Floral Closure: Tie Extr...Category
2010s Casual Dresses
- DRIES VAN NOTEN blue pinstripe cotton cupro hem long sleeve shirt dress FR34 XSBy Dries van NotenLocated in Hong Kong, NTDRIES VAN NOTEN blue pinstripe cotton cupro hem long sleeve shirt dress FR34 XS Reference: CELG/A00164 Brand: Dries Van Noten Material: Cotton Color: Blue Pattern: Striped Clos...Category
2010s Casual Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier JPG Basquiat Opaque Sketch Graffiti Comic Street Art DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRJean Paul Gaultier JPG Basquiat Opaque mesh sketch graffiti comic street art vintage 90s Optical Butterfly Maxi Long Tattoo Dress Robe Long dress Jean Paul Gaultier Jeans 0001 colle...Category
1990s French Maxi Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Diver Tropical Parrot Mesh Purple Ruffled Swimmers DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRJean Paul Gaultier Vintage Soleil Diver 90's Jean Tropical Parrot Maxi Mesh Sheer Transparent Ruffled Dress Rare Late 90's Jean Paul Gaultier Parrot Print Maxi Mesh Dress. Totally ...Category
1990s French Maxi Dresses
- Diane Freis 1980s DressBy Diane FreisLocated in New York, NY1980s Diane Freis Drop Waist Tiered Printed Dress with Bishop Sleeves and Ruffled Neckline. Like all of Freis' dresses, her prints were such an important element to every dress she p...Category
1980s Day Dresses
- Emilio Pucci 1970's DressBy Emilio PucciLocated in New York, NYStunning 1970s Emilio Pucci Blue Printed V-Neck Silk Jersey Dress with Drop Waist and Pleated Skirt. An iconic print and flattering silhouette combined make a timeless dress that wil...Category
1970s Italian Casual Dresses
- Chanel CC Logo Knit Cashmere Mini Dress '09By ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel CC Logo Knit Cashmere Sleeveless Dress in Mint and Blue with Black trim. Look #51 From Chanel's Cruise 2009 Show in Miami, Florida. 100% Cashmere. Bust 30 in Waist 30 in Hips...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- Vintage Tennis DressLocated in New York, NYVintage Leroy pleated tennis dress with red and blue lined v-neck. Marked by Leroy 100% Polyester Bust 34 in Waist 24 in Length 52 in Marked size 10 Excellent Vintage Condition. ...Category
1990s Day Dresses