Huge Leather and Gilt Versace Couture Medusa Cuff. 1980's. Super Rare.
View Similar Items
Huge Leather and Gilt Versace Couture Medusa Cuff. 1980's. Super Rare.
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.
- Italian Gilt Metal Jeweled Poured Glass Wide Hinged Cuff Bracelet c 1980sLocated in University City, MOItalian gilt metal jeweled poured glass wide hinged cuff bracelet c 1980s The elegant jeweled cuff is sheathed with textured, hammered luminous gilt m...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsGold Plate
$375 Sale Price21% OffFree Shipping - Vionnet Sleek Wide Gilt Metal Hinged Cuff Bracelet c 1990sLocated in University City, MOVionnet Sleek wide gilt metal hinged cuff bracelet c 1990s The bold severe wide cuff is designed with a triangular pyramid point that converges in the center Makes a very chic eyeca...Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cuff Bracelets
- Glittering Crystal Wide Gilt Metal Cuff Designed by GrazianoBy R.J. GrazianoLocated in University City, MOGlittering crystal wide gilt metal cuff designed by Graziano The opulent gilt metal cuff bracelet is embellished with a wreath of garnet color crystals accented with diamante cry...Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsCrystal, Gilt Metal
- Sterling Silver Severe Wide Handmade Artisan Cuff Band c 1980sLocated in University City, MOSterling silver wide handmade artisan cuff bracelet. The unique bracelet is constructed with a wide sterling band that gradually widens on one end. Designed with a thin black lucite ...Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Artisan Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Genuine Black Alligator Brass Buckle Bracelet Designed by Johnny FarahLocated in University City, MOGenuine black alligator brass buckle bracelet designed by Johnny Farah The sleek wide exotic unisex bracelet is adorned with chunky brass buckle The ex...Category
Vintage 1980s American Cuff Bracelets
$335 Sale Price39% OffFree Shipping - Erickson Beamon Wide Gilt Metal Pastel Crystal Jeweled Cuff Bracelet circa 1990sBy Erickson BeamonLocated in University City, MOErickson Beamon Wide gilt metal pastel crystal jeweled cuff bracelet The shiny gilt metal cuff is embellished with a pastel amethyst color glass crystal at the center, surrounded wi...Category
1990s British Artisan Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsGilt Metal
$312 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping
- Versailles Bracelet - Sterling silverBy Esther EyreLocated in London, GBVersailles 3 row bracelet - Sterling silver cuff bracelet from Esther's classic collection "Versailles". Designed with the extraordinary French Palace in mind, Esther uses extravagan...Category
2010s British Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Sacchi Crumbles Diamonds Bracelet 18 Karat Yellow GoldBy Sacchi GioielliLocated in Rome, ITWire bracelet in Satin Yellow Gold embellished with Diamonds, from the CRUMBLES Collection by Sacchi, handmade with the lost wax casting technique. Lost-wax casting, one of the olde...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Modern Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Sacchi Ancient Roman Coin and Diamonds Gemstone 18 Karat Yellow Gold BraceletBy Sacchi GioielliLocated in Rome, ITAncient Roman Coin and Diamonds Satin Yellow Gold Bracelet, from Sacchi’s "Roma" Collection, hand-crafted with lost-wax casting technique. Lost-wax casting, one of the oldest techni...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Modern Bracelets
MaterialsWhite Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Sacchi Multi-Color Precious Gemstones 18 Karat Yellow Gold Cuff BraceletBy Sacchi GioielliLocated in Rome, ITElegant Multi-Color Precious Gemstones Satin Yellow Gold Cuff Bracelet, hand-crafted with lost-wax casting technique. Lost-wax casting, one of the oldest techniques for creating jew...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
MaterialsWhite Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
$4,598 Sale Price20% Off - Sacchi Ancient Roman Coin Costantino II 18 Karat Yellow Gold BraceletBy Sacchi GioielliLocated in Rome, ITAncient Roman Coin Satin Yellow Gold Bracelet, from Sacchi’s "Roma" Collection, hand-crafted with lost-wax casting technique. Lost-wax casting, one of the oldest techniques for crea...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- Sacchi "Serpenti" Diamonds Bracelet 18 Karat Yellow GoldBy Sacchi GioielliLocated in Rome, ITSatin Yellow Gold Modern Bracelet embellished with Diamonds, from Sacchi’s Serpenti Collection, hand-crafted with lost-wax casting technique. Lost-wax casting, one of the oldest te...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Modern Bracelets
MaterialsDiamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold