Gianni Versace Versus Vintage Silk Shirt
View Similar Items
Gianni Versace Versus Vintage Silk Shirt
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Style:Baroque (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Doncaster, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU468310703122
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. 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,” Versace once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life. Today, vintage Gianni Versace clothing, handbags and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
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 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.
- Issey Miyake Vintage Brown print Crinkle Open Front Sleeveless TopBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Portland, ORThis is such a great piece from Issey Miyake! this open front vintage crinkle top can be worn over a variety of things and because of the flexible fit, it can accommodate a wide rang...Category
1990s Japanese Blouses
- 1990s Gianni Versace Couture Vintage Silk Floral Collared ShirtBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAThis bright silk collared shirt features an Atelier Versace original print. With large flowers on the front and back of the blouse, other images on ...Category
1990s Italian Blouses and Tops
- Early 2000s Gucci by Tom Ford Backless Beige Draped Tank TopBy Tom Ford for Gucci, GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a fabulous beige Gucci tank top, designed by Tom Ford. From the early 2000s, this incredible ruched top is made complete with an exposed back...Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses
- S/S 1995 Gianni Versace Couture Sheer Pink Ladybug Print Medusa Button BlouseBy Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a light pink ladybug sheer Gianni Versace Couture collared shirt, designed by Gianni Versace. From the Spring/Summer 1995, this ladybug print ...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- S/S 1995 Gianni Versace Couture Lady Bug Garden Baroque Print Button Up Silk TopBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stunning silk Gianni Versace Couture button up shirt, designed by Gianni Versace. Constructed entirely of printed silk, this shirt is covered in the brand's iconic baroque pattern and lady bug/butterfly print. From the Spring/Summer 1995 collection, this stunning archival top...Category
1990s Italian Blouses
- 2003 Roberto Cavalli Animal Print Embroidered Silk Lace Up Bustier Corset TopBy Roberto CavalliLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a beautiful Roberto Cavalli leopard animal print bustier corset top. From 2003, this animal print top features a zip closure at the front, square neckline, adjustable corset tie at the back, and embroidered accents at the sides. It does not get more iconic than an early 2000s Cavalli animal print corset...Category
Early 2000s Italian Blouses