1980s Gianni Versace Cropped Wool Argyle Polo Sweater
View Similar Items
1980s Gianni Versace Cropped Wool Argyle Polo Sweater
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 8 (US)
- Style:Sporty (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Gresham, OR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU503469131
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.
- 1960s J. Tiktinr 2-Piece Knit Turtleneck Sweater & Snakeskin Skirt In CranberryBy J. TiktinerLocated in Gresham, OR1960s J. Tiktinr 2-Piece Rib Knit Turtleneck Sweater & Snakeskin A-Line Skirt In Cranberry Color. Skirt is banded snakeskin joined by rows of knit. Lined skirt. Coordinating belt inc...Category
1960s French Pullovers
- 1990 Couture Grey Italian Wool Sweater & Teal Taffeta Train Formal Skirt SetBy Michael CaseyLocated in Gresham, OR1990s Michael Casey Couture 2-piece ensemble consisting of a grey high neck knit sweater with long sleeves and back zipper and a floral flocked teal silk taffeta formal skirt...Category
1990s American Pullovers
- Torso Creations Tie-Dye Cotton Fleece Hoodie w/ Hand-Knit Inset DetailsBy Torso CreationsLocated in Gresham, ORTorso Creations earth-toned tie-dye cotton hoodie with hand-knit inset design at center front, shoulder seams, cuffs and hood edging in wool and rayon yarn. Size Medium. Update your ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Sweaters
- 2009 Chanel Cruise Collection Cream Silk Knit Pullover Sweater w/ "CC" LogoBy Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, ChanelLocated in Gresham, OR2009 Chanel Cruise Collection cream silk organza knit pullover sweater with "CC" logo knitted at front. Artfully deconstructed and fringed at ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Pullovers
- 1950s Black & Cream Intarsia Knitted Wool Turtleneck Sweater w Folkloric PatternLocated in Gresham, OR1950s Black & Cream Nautical Intarsia Knitted Wool Turtleneck Sweater w Folkloric Pattern: Oversized style sweater with crest and crown pattern as well as acorns, windmills and sail...Category
1950s European Pullovers
- 1960s Emilio Pucci Cashmere & Silk Graphic Print Knit Pullover SweaterBy Emilio PucciLocated in Gresham, OR1960s Emilio Pucci Cashmere & Silk Graphic Print Knit Pullover Sweater: A hard-to-find cashmere blend fine-knit sweater from the iconic Mod print-master...Category
1960s Italian Sweaters
- 1990s Gianni Versace Couture Purple Angora SweaterBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Scottsdale, AZThis is a very cozy Angora knit sleeveless sweater from designer Gianni Versace couture circa early 90's. Sweater is in a fabulous purple with a deep purple knit trim around the neck...Category
1990s Italian Pullovers
- Purple Knitted Top ideal for FallLocated in London, GBA chic knitted top by Italian firm Filo Scozia. The top has an interesting knit with a turtle kneck line and ribbed detail. Measurements: Bust 37'', length 20''Category
1990s Italian Sweater Vests
- HERMES blue white cashmere BOUCLERIE MODERNE Cardigan Sweater 34 XXSBy HermèsLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Hermès long sleeve Bouclerie Moderne cardigan in white, navy and light blue cashmere (100%). Features a deep v-neck, ribbed cuffs and a ribbed hem. Opens with five but...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Pullovers
- HERMES blue white cashmere BOUCLERIE MODERNE Cardigan Sweater 34 XXSBy HermèsLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Hermès long sleeve Bouclerie Moderne cardigan in white, navy and light blue cashmere (100%). Features a deep v-neck, ribbed cuffs and a ribbed hem. Opens with five but...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Pullovers
- LOUIS VUITTON purple wool LEOPARD SILK FRONT Cardigan Sweater MBy Louis VuittonLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Louis Vuitton button-front cardigan in burgundy rib wool (with 10% silk) and leopard print silk front in purple and orange. Has been worn and is in excellent condition...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Cardigans
- Charles Jourdan French Navy Button V-Neck Front CardiganBy Charles JourdanLocated in New York, NYCharles Jourdan wonderful V-neck button front cardigan in French navy has five buttons in front. The shoulder measures 20 1/4" across, underarm circumference is 41", underarm-...Category
1970s French Cardigans