Versace Jeans Couture Strap Dress Never Worn
View Similar Items
Versace Jeans Couture Strap Dress Never Worn
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2388638651
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.
- Courreges Paris Demi Couture Numbered Colorblock 1960's DressBy André CourrègesLocated in Carmel, CACourreges vintage 1960's color block structured wool dress features button closures along the front, faux pockets at the waist and fully lined. Made in France. Excellent condition. ...Category
1960s French Aesthetic Day Dresses
- 50s White Sheath Dress with White BeltLocated in San Francisco, CA50s White Sheath Dress with original white belt. Princess seaming. Slightly gathered at waist. Lightweight fabric. The measurements are as follows; Bust:...Category
1950s Sheath Dresses
- GALANOS Cream Silk Halter Gown with White Trim and Exposed Back Size 0 2By GalanosLocated in Los Angeles, CAThis Galanos gown is composed of cream and ivory silk. Features a center front slit. There is a center back zipper closure. In excellent vintage condition. **Please cross-ref...Category
1970s American Day Dresses
- Pucci Silk Jersey Dress in Ice Cream Colours and Black BackgroundBy Emilio PucciLocated in London, GBA lovely Pucci silk jersey dress in ice cream colours. The dress has a square neckline and elbow length sleaves. Made in Italy Size 40 Measurements: Bust up to 36'', length 39''Category
Early 2000s Italian Day Dresses
- Vintage Summer Dress with White PocketsBy DL BarronLocated in London, GBA great vintage Summer dress by D L Barron. It is in a fun print of white, yellow and brown, with two large white pockets.Category
1960s British Day Dresses
- Vintage Linzi Boho Cheesecloth DressLocated in London, GBA lovely vintage dress from Linzi that is great for wafting around in. The cheesecloth dress has a square neckline , red ribbon detail and lace on t...Category
1970s British Day Dresses