Early Gianni Versace Beaded Evening Skirt Fall 1983
View Similar Items
Early Gianni Versace Beaded Evening Skirt Fall 1983
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Italian 40 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:70%Cotton 30%Viscose
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Athens, GR
- Reference Number:Seller: #7811stDibs: LU42932467883
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.
- 1970's Yves Saint Laurent YSL Tiered Black Silk Taffeta SkirtBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Studio City, CA1970's Yves Saint Laurent black silk taffeta tiered skirt with silk lining, horse-hair batting, an opening at either side seam and ruffled trim at each tier. There are two silk taffe...Category
1970s French Skirts
- Stephen Sprouse Black Metallic Eyelash Fringe Tinsel Pencil Skirt, 1980sBy Stephen SprouseLocated in San Francisco, CAStephen Sprouse 'Sprouse' vintage 1980s black pencil skirt with metallic eyelash fringe throughout. Back zip, hook, and button. 80% rayon, 20% polyester. Fully lined in 100% acetate...Category
1980s South Korean Pencil Skirts
- Giorgio Armani Unworn 1990s Black Midi Skirt with Pleat Detail at WaistBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in San Francisco, CAUnworn vintage 1990s Giorgio Armani black lightweight jersey knit straight skirt that hits just between a midi and maxi length. Stacked horizontal pleats at waist. Side zip and inter...Category
1990s Italian Pencil Skirts
- 2000s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Purple Diamond Weave Pencil SkirtBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in San Francisco, CAYves Saint Laurent 2005 Rive Gauche purple pencil skirt in a diamond weave composed of an amazing flax blend that almost feels like a soft wove...Category
Early 2000s French Pencil Skirts
- New Oscar de la Renta Runway Red White Black and Blue Pencil SkirtBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in San Francisco, CAOscar de la Renta fall 2015 red, black, and white skirt with light blue accents. Pockets at front. Back zip with two large and one small hook and eye closure. Shown on the Fall 201...Category
2010s Italian Pencil Skirts
- 1990s Dolce and Gabbana Tiered Floral Fringe Skirt in Black Red and YellowBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in San Francisco, CAVintage Dolce and Gabbana (circa 1990s) tiered skirt with tiered layers of floral and paisley. One tier is trimmed in lace, while another is trimmed in fringe. Additional long trim h...Category
1990s Italian Ruffled Skirts