Gianni Versace F/W 1993 Runway Couture Sheer Knit Mesh Lace Evening Dress Gown
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 44 (NA)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Naples, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1624110100292
Gianni Versace Couture
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. The designer debuted his Atelier Versace line — which was part of the first Versace haute couture collection — in 1989.
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 1989's Gianni Versace Couture — 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 Gianni Versace Couture bags, dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Naples, FL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Azzedine Alaia F/W 1992 Runway Vintage Fitted Bow Ribbon DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia Vintage F/W 1992 Runway Fitted Bow Ribbon Wrapped Dress Size Small Alaïa long sleeve midi dress featuring bow print throughout, crew neck and concealed zip closure at...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia Bodycon Fitted Open Back Black DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia Sexy Open Back Fitted Dress Size FR 38 Black Alaïa sleeveless knit mini dress with crew neck, cross-over straps at open back and concealed zip closure at side. All E...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Versace $20, 905 F/W 2006 Runway Black Plunging Neckline Embellished Dress GownBy VersaceLocated in Naples, FLVERSACE RUNWAY Sexy Embellished Plunging Neckline Dress Gown Black Versace dress with sequin trim throughout, halter top and concealed zi...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia S/S 1990 Vintage Black Bustier Fitted DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia S/S 1990 Vintage Fitted Plunged Décolleté Mini Dress M Black Alaïa mini bodycon dress with sweetheart neck and rib knit accent panels throughout. All Eyes on Alaïa ...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia 1990's Vintage Fitted Open Back Black Midi DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia 1990's Vintage Fitted Open Back Black Midi Dress Size S/M Condition is good pre-owned - light wear throughout. Please note size tag is missing - size is estimated by...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia Sheer Bodycon Open Back DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLBlack Alaïa sleeveless midi dress with scoop neck and open back S/M Please note size tag is missing , size is estimated from measurements. All Eyes on Alaïa For the last half-cent...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Badgley Mischka Beaded Black Silk Lace Evening Gown Size US 10By Badgley MischkaLocated in New York, NYBadgley Mischka glamorous black silk lace evening gown, size US 10. Gown features hand beaded and embroidered lace with glass jet beading, and neckline with glass jet beads along cu...Category
Late 20th Century American Evening Gowns
- Mariano Fortuny Black Silk Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with matte frosted colored glass beads threaded through the cordin...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Peplos
- Mariano Fortuny Black Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
- Mariano Fortuny Black Delphos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
Named after a ...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
- Eavis & Brown Beaded Evening DressBy Eavis & BrownLocated in Water Mill, NYEavis & Brown Fabulous Beaded Hand Made Dress..Size XSCategory
20th Century English Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Beautiful D&G Dolce and Gabbana Leopard Print DressBy D&G by DOLCE & GABBANALocated in Hoffman Estates, ILBeautiful vintage D&G Dolce & Gabbana leopard print dress. Excellent condition.Category
Early 20th Century Italian Day Dresses