Gianni Versace Baroque Polka Dot Printed Swimsuit Spring 1991
View Similar Items
Gianni Versace Baroque Polka Dot Printed Swimsuit Spring 1991
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 42 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:W1, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: GV03261stDibs: LU568528852
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.
- Lisa Marie Fernandez Gold Ruffle Accent Bikini Set Size XSLocated in London, GBCONDITION is Never worn, with tags. No visible wear to swimsuit is evident on this new Lisa Marie Fernandez designer resale item. Details Gold Synthetic Bikini set ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Bikinis
- ROSE MARIE REID c.1950s EMILIO PUCCI Signature Print One Piece Swimsuit / RomperBy Emilio Pucci, Rose Marie ReidLocated in Thiensville, WIVintage Rose Marie Reid of California c.1950's Emilio Pucci signature print one piece swimsuit / romper. Multicolor Emilio Pucci striped Sicilian motif signature print in shades of b...Category
1950s American Swimwear
- VERSACE Size M Yellow Black Gold Nylon Drawstring Swim TrunksBy VersaceLocated in San Francisco, CAVERSACE swim trunks comes in a yellow & black nylon featuring a mesh liner and a elastic waistband. Made in Italy. Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Light ma...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swim Trunks
- PHILIPP PLEIN Size M Black White Print Polyamide Drawstring Swim TrunksBy Philipp PleinLocated in San Francisco, CAPHILIPP PLEIN shorts comes in a black & white print polyamide featuring a drawstring detail and a zip fly closure. Made in Italy.Very Good Pre-Owned Condition. Marked: M Measu...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Swim Trunks
- Vintage 1970's Valditeverre kaftan, scarf & bikini top setLocated in COLLINGWOOD, AUVintage 1970's Valditeverre kaftan set, including a bikini top, square scarf and kaftan. The kaftan is printed with a unique print that runs through the wh...Category
1970s Italian Beachwear
- NEW Missoni Crochet Knit Pink „Barbiecore Barbie“ Bikini with PouchBy MissoniLocated in Switzerland, CHCrafted using luxury knit elements, Missoni designs this stunning knit bikini in a classic triangle silhouette with a pink tone-in-tone contrast trim - the...Category
2010s Italian Bikinis