2000s Versace Vintage purple silk dress with multicolored print
View Similar Items
2000s Versace Vintage purple silk dress with multicolored print
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” — 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.
- Jean Paul Gaultier 1997 Fashion & Culture Japanese Tattoo Maxi DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRJean Paul Gaultier 1997 Fashion & Culture Japanese Tattoo Maxi Dress Jean Paul Gaultier JPG 1997 Fashion & Culture Jean's 90s Vintage Japanese Tattoo...Category
1990s French Maxi Dresses
- Gianfranco Ferre Tunic DressBy Gianfranco FerréLocated in Waterford, MIPurple Tunic dress. Double layer on back. Mandarin collar. Front buttons. Side pockets. Shoulder pads. Wool. Lined. Made in France. *Condition: Great vi...Category
1980s Day Dresses
- 1970's Vintage Tri Color Floral DressBy I Magnin and CoLocated in Georgetown, MEVintage 70's Tri Color Floral Halter Dress! I am obsessed with this dress, it is perfect in every way. Designer: unknown has the Joseph Magnin Department Store Label Size: fi...Category
1970s Maxi Dresses
- Alessandra Rich polkadot short dress with sequins collarBy Alessandra RichLocated in Toronto, CAAlessandra Rich pink silk short dress with white polkadots , puff sleeve with shoulder pad , sequins collar , crystal button detail.Category
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
- Vivienne Westwood indigo cotton jersey dress printed dress, ss 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Vivienne Westwood dress ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Constructed from indigo cotton jersey ▪ Neoclassical print inspired by Andre-Charles Boull...Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana Purple Silk Chiffon Gathered Dress MBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2A purple wonder from the house of Dolce & Gabbana, this dress is a buy you will love. The dress exhibits a standout design and serves well for special occasions. It is tailored into ...Category
2010s Italian Day Dresses