Gianni Versace Fall Runway Mini Dress, 1997
View Similar Items
Gianni Versace Fall Runway Mini Dress, 1997
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 6 (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1618011642
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.
- La Mendola Printed Gown with Over Skirt and Sequin Belt, 1970sBy La MendolaLocated in Austin, TXLa Mendola Printed Gown with Over Skirt and Sequin Belt. Floral pattern on yellow background in synthetic jersey. With a silk chiffon over skirt. The dress closes in the back with 4...Category
1970s Italian Evening Dresses
- 1990s Masaki MatsushimaBy Masaki MatsushimaLocated in Austin, TXMasaki Matsushima grey wool dress, high slit. Condition: Excellent Made in Paris Size 2 / US 6Category
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
$1,800 - 1991 Dolce & Gabbana Mini Stretch Dress with Silk StrandsBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in Austin, TX1991 Dolce & Gabbana mini stretch dress with long silk strands from the back. Buttons up front Condition: Excellent Size XS/ SmallCategory
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Mollie Parnis Silk Chiffon Maxi Gown with Velvet Dot Design, 1960sBy Mollie ParnisLocated in Austin, TXGorgeous 1960s Mollie Parnis sheer silk chiffon gown with velvet dot design and black slip underneath. Mollie Parnis label circa 1960s before Mollie Parnis started Boutique label in ...Category
1960s American Maxi Dress
- Badgley Mischka Black Evening Gown with Lace InsertBy BADGLEY MISHCKA, Badgley MischkaLocated in Austin, TXBadgley Mischka black evening gown with lace insert. Condition: Excellent. Size 10Category
1990s American Evening Dresses
- 1970s Halston chiffon skirt and top sheerBy HalstonLocated in Austin, TX1970s Halston chiffon skirt and top - sheer. Condition: good, some wear and discoloration on skirt 24" waist Size XS Skirt : 24" Waist, 42" Hips, 35"...Category
1970s Evening Dresses
- 1990S CHANEL Lemmon Yellow Silk Crepe Chiffon Strapless Empire Waist Dress WithBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYAs Seen on Linda Evangelista in the Spring 1991 Chanel ad campaign. Straps are added but easily removable. 1990S CHANEL Lemmon Yellow Silk Crepe Chiffon Strapless Empire...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- Alexandre Vauthier Crystal Embellished Plunging Yellow Evening Dress GownBy Alexandre VauthierLocated in Naples, FLAlexandre Vauthier Crystal Embellished Plunging Neckline Yellow Evening Dress Gown FR 36 • Made in Italy • Dry clean only • Crossover neckline ...Category
2010s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Geoffrey Beene Colorful Brocade Dress C. 1960'sBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in New York, NYGeoffrey Beene, orange brocade,patterned dress with gold lame thread detail. Dress has a pointed collar, long full sleeves, ending in a tight buttoned cuff, slightly high waist with ...Category
1960s American Cocktail Dresses
- NWT Astier Neon Yellow + Gray + Black Novelty Print Naked Women Silk DressLocated in San Diego, CAIncredible brand new with tags ASTIER neon yellow, grey and black novelty print silk dress! Features nude women in pantyhose and high heels throughout, mixed with abstract prints. Bu...Category
2010s American Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage 1960's Gene Shelly Chartreuse Yellow Sequin Beaded Knit Cocktail DressBy Gene Shelley International Boutique, Gene ShelleyLocated in Beverly Hills, CAMid-century Gene Shelly designer garments are in a class of their own. They are always fully-sequined by hand and fit to flatter the figure. This early 1960's treasure has a fantastic abstract-deco design worked in, featuring iridescent-beadwork. The base is an ultra-soft chartreuse yellow wool-knit and the sequin work is done in the same hue. Just look at the detail pictures! Though the hourglass fit is rather seductive, the 3/4-length sleeves give it a balanced elegance that Gene Shelly is known for. I love the nipped-waist belted hourglass wiggle skirt! This is the type of garment celebrity vixens, like Marilyn Monroe, made infamous. Extraordinary and a rare find to be in such pristine condition. Measurements (The knit will allow stretch so you can safely add two inches to the below measurements) Bust: 34 inches Waist: 28 inches Hips: 36 inches Sleeve Length: 19 inches Total Length: 42 inches This vintage Gene...Category
1960s American Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- F/W 2015 Look #10 Versace Yellow Sleeveless Dress with Pleated SkirtBy VersaceLocated in Montgomery, TXVERSACE Actual runway sample F/W 2015 Look #10 Versace Yellow Sleeveless Dress with Pleated Skirt Directly from the runway to you! Actual runway dress worn by Zlata Semenko...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cocktail Dresses