Gianni Versace Jacket with Medusa Buttons
View Similar Items
Gianni Versace Jacket with Medusa Buttons
Versace
Subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive, Gianni Versace’s (1946–97) designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” the legendary Italian couturier once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life. Today, vintage Versace clothing, handbags and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration. In fact, 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! '90” — as the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace was born in Reggio di 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. This 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 Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses, accessories and more on 1stDibs.
- CHANEL Tweed Blazer Jacket Tan White Zipper Buttons Long Sleeve 44 Spring 2015By ChanelLocated in Hollywood, FLGUARANTEED AUTHENTIC CHANEL SPRING 2015 TWEED JACKET Retailed excluding sales taxes $5,600 Details: - Gorgeous full relaxed tweed jacket in rich t...Category
2010s Blazers
- Chanel Paris-Athens Silk Baroque Pattern Kimono JacketBy ChanelLocated in London, GBFrom the 2018 cruise collection, this pre-owned floor-length silk kimono was designed as part of the Paris Athens collection and features a gold baroque p...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Jackets
- Gucci Silk Ivory Winter White Tuxedo Smoking JacketBy GucciLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe perfect smoking or tuxedo jacket by Gucci ! Pair with black or winter white pants or skirt for a great look Fragile color and this has just been dry cleaned but there is some sor...Category
2010s Italian Tuxedo Jackets
Unavailable$1,295 - Moschino Couture White Organic Wool Fabric JacketBy Moschino CoutureLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage 90s Moschino Couture white " Nature-Friendly Garment" organic wool fabric Jacket. Such a unique jacket! Franco Moschino is really a pioneer and provocative designer who alw...Category
1990s Italian Jackets
- Chanel 1995 White Tweed Short Sleeves JacketBy ChanelLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Vintage Chanel white tweed short sleeves jacket from spring 1995 collection. - Four front pockets. - Chanel gold-toned hardware front chest...Category
1990s French Jackets
- Vintage 1997 Chanel Off White Gathered Bomber JacketBy Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in Sheung Wan, HK- Chanel white gathered bomber jacket from 1997 spring collection. - Ribbed details. - Gold hardware “Chanel” front zip fastening. - White and Gold “CC” button. - Two front f...Category
1990s French Sport Jackets