Gianni Versace silver Oroton metal chainmail bodysuit and skirt, fw 1994
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10 - US 6 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140212000122
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. Today, his vintage dresses and gowns, handbags, sunglasses and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
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,” he once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.
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 — and Gianni Versace Couture, which debuted in 1989 — 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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Dolce & Gabbana burgundy silk chiffon dress with bandage straps, ss 1990By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana Burgundy silk chiffon dress ▪ 2 long bandage straps at the waist which can be styled in multiple ways around the body ▪ Bustled layered skirt with wide jersey wais...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Dolce & Gabbana Renaissance printed silk dress with draped skirt, ss 1990By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana evening dress with draped skirt ▪ Print: Transfiguration by Raphael (1516–1520) ▪ Four ties attached at the waistband which can b...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Azzedine Alaia grey knitted wool skirt with leather harness, fw 1987By Azzedine AlaïaLocated in London, GBPresenting a captivating Alaia grey knitted wool high waist figure-hugging skirt from the autumn-winter 1987 collection. This skirt is a true testament to the brand's innovative desi...Category
1980s Italian Skirts
- Yves Saint Laurent coral moire silk and velvet petal skirt, fw 1994By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in London, GBYves Saint Laurent coral moire silk and black velvet petal skirt. Fall-Winter 1994Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- Gucci by Tom Ford silk organza mini skirt with brown feathers, ss 2003By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GB▪ Gucci black silk organza mini skirt ▪ Designed by Tom Ford ▪ Real brown feathers ▪ Concealed zipper at side seam ▪ IT 38 - FR 34 - UK 6 - US 2 ▪ Spring-Summer 2003Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirts
- Gianni Versace black leather gold buckled skirt with animal print, fw 1994By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace black leather pencil skirt with multiple signature gold buckles on each side. Animal print at the front. Fall-Winter 1994Category
1990s Italian Skirts
- Serge & Real Black Taffeta Pleated Long Skirt - MLocated in West Palm Beach, FLSerge & Real Black Taffeta Pleated Long Skirt - M. This Serge & Real long skirt is black taffeta. It is pleated and loose. This skirt is in good co...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Louis Vuitton Black Bustier Tank and Skirt Set with Bow Detail at ShouldersBy Louis VuittonLocated in San Francisco, CALouis Vuitton black shirt and skirt set. Tank features a bubble style hem and bows at each shoulder with pleat detailing at bust. Seam detail at back. Top fastens at back with hook a...Category
2010s French Skirts
- Torso Creations Black 2-Piece Fishnet & Silk Taffeta Tiered Flamenco Gown & TopBy Torso CreationsLocated in Gresham, ORTorso Creations Black 2-Piece Fishnet & Silk Taffeta Tiered Flamenco Skirt & Top: Burlesque-inspired black fishnet cropped top is trimmed in fringe wit...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Evening Gowns
- Angelo Tarlazzi New Silk Maxi SkirtBy Angelo TariazziLocated in Water Mill, NYA beautiful black silk taffeta skirt from Angelo Tarlazzi. It has a grosgrain waistband and vertical panels semi fitted though to the hips then flaring to the hem. The skirt has gr...Category
1990s French Skirts
- Mignon Velvet Maxi Skirt 1960sBy MignonLocated in Water Mill, NYA fabulous brightly colored abstract pattern velvet maxi skirt from Mignon in pink, green, burgundy and blue. The skirt is gathered onto a 2" waistba...Category
1960s French Skirts
- Sexy Vintage Patrick Kelly 1980s 80s Black Wool Strapless Dress, Top, or SkirtBy Patrick KellyLocated in San Diego, CASexy vintage PATRICK KELLY black wool strapless dress, top, or skirt (see photos)! The possibilities with this amazing find are endless! Perfect belted, or alone. Fitted at the skirt...Category
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.
Vivienne Westwood’s Punk Spirit Lives On in This ’90s Tartan Ensemble
The shorts suit in a mash-up of patterns with an asymmetrical cut speaks to the designer’s rebellious spirit.