GIANNI VERSACE Woven Cocktail Dress
View Similar Items
GIANNI VERSACE Woven Cocktail Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 33 in (83.82 cm)Bust: 34 in (86.36 cm)Waist: 29 in (73.66 cm)Hip: 37 in (93.98 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU678212864
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.
- Vivienne Tam Blue Sheer Maxi DressBy Vivienne TamLocated in Los Angeles, CABlue sheer maxi gown. Short sleeve. Lined. *Condition: excellent vintage condition. No visible flaws. Measurements Taken Laying Flat (inches)— Shoulder to Shoulder...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Dessès haute couture emerald and gold silk brocade evening dress, c. 1962By Jean DessèsLocated in London, GBPresenting an exquisite haute couture evening gown by the legendary Jean Dessès, a true marvel from the fashion realm, dating back to the illustrious era of 1962. Prepare to be capti...Category
1960s Greek Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gianni Versace turquoise orchid print rayon jersey maxi dress, ss 1999By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GB▪ Gianni Versace turquoise orchid print maxi dress ▪ 62% Rayon, 25% Acetate, 13% Nylon ▪ Cowl neck ▪ External corsetry boning on right side ▪ High leg slit on left side ▪ IT 38 - FR ...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Gucci by Tom Ford aqua blue beaded evening dress, ss 2000By Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in London, GBGucci by Tom Ford aqua blue beaded evening dress with plunging neckline, silk lining and black leather shoulder strap with Gucci stamped metal clasp. Sp...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier blue cyber dot printed lycra bodycon dress, fw 1995By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GB▪ Jean Paul Gaultier cyber dot printed dress ▪ Iconic dots printed in the form of a woman, dressed in a bra and thong ▪ Skin tight fit ▪ High neck ▪ Calf-le...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Roberto Cavalli blue and purple acid wash silk halter neck maxi dress, ss 1999By Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GB▪ Roberto Cavalli blue and purple silk maxi dress ▪ Acid wash print with gold glitter ▪ Scoop neck ▪ Halter ties with crystal charms ▪ Size Medium ▪ Spring-Summer 1999 ▪ 100% SilkCategory
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns