Vintage Istante By Gianni Versace NWT Black Wool Silk Sheer Sheath Dress SZ 42
View Similar Items
Vintage Istante By Gianni Versace NWT Black Wool Silk Sheer Sheath Dress SZ 42
About the Item
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 33 in (83.82 cm)Marked Size: 42 (EU)Bust: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Waist: 27 in (68.58 cm)Hip: 38.5 in (97.79 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Fabric Content: Outer: 86% Wool, 6% Nylon, 5% Silk, 3% Spandex; Lining: 100% Rayon
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. New with tags. Some wear and tear. Tears throughout lace trim around waist. White markings on interior at undersides of armholes; markings may be removed with dry cleaning. No other visible signs of trying on.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:Seller: 1202641stDibs: LU42631605973
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.
- Exquisite Vintage James Purcell BNWT $2, 300 Gray Pinstripe Dress Black CrystalsBy James PurcellLocated in San Diego, CAStriking vintage 1990s JAMES PURCELL charcoal gray pinstriped dress! Brand new, with original price tags attached of $2,265 (which is equivalent curren...Category
1990s Cocktail Dresses
- 1990s Morgan Le Fay by Liliana Casbal Black Wool Minimalist Vintage 90s DressBy Morgan Le FayLocated in San Diego, CAMinimalist chic at its best in this 1990s MORGAN LE FAY by LILIANA CASBAL black wool sleeveless dress ! This dress is a prime example of the 90s Minimalist...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- Jackie Rogers Classic Black Satin Bias Cut DressBy Jackie RogersLocated in West Palm Beach, FLJackie Rogers classic silky black satin bias cut dress from the 1990s. The perfect black dress to dress up with jewelry and or a belt. The dress slips o...Category
1990s American Cocktail Dresses
- 1950s Black + Hot Pink Velvet Silk Fit n' Flare Vintage 50s Couture DressLocated in San Diego, CAGorgeous 1950s demi couture black velvet and hot pink silk fit n' flare dress ! Features a tailored bodice with a full skirt. Hot pink bow detail at left side. Matching pink fabric a...Category
1950s Cocktail Dresses
- 1950s Large Plus Size Hand Painted Black Silk Woven Ribbon Vintage 50s DressLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful couture quality 1950s large size woven silk ribbon hand painted dress ! Features a flattering tailored bodice with a forgiving skirt. Hand painted flowers in blue, turquois...Category
1950s American Cocktail Dresses
- J. Charles de Castelbajac black and white faces wool dressBy CastelbajacLocated in Capri, ITJ. Charles de Castelbajac black and white faces wool dress totally made in italy size LCategory
1990s Italian Day Dresses