Recent VERSACE Medusa dome snap detail knit dress
View Similar Items
Recent VERSACE Medusa dome snap detail knit dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Newport Beach, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3061203442
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.
- Vintage Hardy Amies Day DressBy Hardy AmiesLocated in London, GBA chic vintage Hardy Amies day dress in a ivory and black check. The dress has a double frill collar, and elbow length sleaves. Measurements: Bust ...Category
1960s British Day Dresses
- 1930s Pastel Floral Print Day DressLocated in Alford, MAFloral voile 1930s day dress in pastel colors. Sleeveless bodice has capelet effect with ruffle border and ties that fit through tab. Paneled skirt flares at sides. Slips over the he...Category
1930s American Day Dresses
- 1950's American Western Wear Two Piece Patio DressLocated in Atlanta, GAPatio dresses came into fashion from the 1940's through the 1950's and incorporated Native American motifs with the casual style of a day dress for a distinct Western wear...Category
1950s American Casual Dresses
- 1960'S SAKS FIFTH AVE ITALY EXCLUSIVE EMILIO PUCCI Pyschedelic Printed Cotton VLocated in New York, NY1960'S SAKS FIFTH AVE ITALY EXCLUSIVE EMILIO PUCCI Pyschedelic Printed Cotton Voile Shirt & Twill Zip Front Skirt EnsembleCategory
1960s Casual Dresses
- Gai Mattiolo Elegant Vintage Checkered SuitBy Gai MattioloLocated in Milano, ITElegant suit by Gai Mattiolo Vintage of 1973. The suit is composed of two pieces: a sheath dress skirt and a woman's double-breasted jacket. The fabric is 60% acetate and 40% Cupro. ...Category
1970s Italian Sheath Dresses
- Fendi 365 Black and White Checked Day Dress with hidden skirt, 1980'sBy FendiLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis is a black and white checked day dress by Fendi 365, from the 1980's. The dress signature "Fendi" buttons up the front, puffed and cuffed short sleeves,...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses