Gianni Versace c. 1980 Vintage Semi-Sheer Bodycon Knit Black Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: S (NA)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Naples, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU162419070722
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Naples, FL
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- D&G by Dolce & Gabbana 1990's Sheer Knit Fishnet Virgin Mary Charm Black DressBy D&G by DOLCE & GABBANALocated in Naples, FLD&G by Dolce & Gabbana 1990's Vintage Sheer Knit Fishnet Mesh Black Dress w Virgin Mary Charm IT 40 D&G by Dolce & Gabbana mesh knit mini dress with scoop neckline, embellished virg...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil Cutout Bodycon Black Maxi DressBy Jean Paul Gaultier SoleilLocated in Naples, FLBlack Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil long sleeve bodycon maxi dress featuring cutout accents with floral appliques at side.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace S/S 1999 Vintage Black Evening Dress GownBy Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Naples, FLGianni Versace S/S 1999 Vintage Black Evening Dress Gown IT 42Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Yves Saint Laurent Tom Ford F/W 2003 Bra Cutout Semi-Sheer Black Ruffle DressLocated in Naples, FLYves Saint Laurent Tom Ford F/W 2003 Bra Cutout Semi-Sheer Black Ruffle Dress Size MCategory
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Roberto Cavalli F/W 2003 Lace Up Chain Constellation Astrology Print DressBy Roberto CavalliLocated in Naples, FLRoberto Cavalli F/W 2003 Lace Up Chain Constellation Astrology Print Dress Size LCategory
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia Vintage S/S 1996 Runway Black Sequin Embellished Mini DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia Vintage S/S 1996 Black Sequin Beaded Embellished Mini Dress Size XS Excellent Condition. Size XS Black vintage Alaïa sleeveless beade...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Moschino Spring 2004 dressBy MoschinoLocated in Brooklyn, NYSuper cute Moschino black lingerie Spring 2004 dress with lace and hooks on bodice, and ruffles at the bottom as seen on the runway in a pink version. The d...Category
Early 2000s Evening Dresses and 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
- Vintage Dolce & Gabbana black mini dress with crystal trim details S/S1995By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBVintage Dolce & Gabbana black mini dress with crystal details S/S1995. The dress is in good condition just light signs of use around the crystals. ▪ Black rayon chiffon with lining ▪...Category
1990s Italian Mini Dress
- Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Black Cocktail DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Sharon, CTA beautiful YSL Rive Gauche Paris, France black cocktail dress, with a silk belt with a large flower bow. Shoulders are lightly padded. Zipper on side, button at neck opening in bac...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses