Gianni Versace SS1992 Python Skin Backpack
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Beverly Hills, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2049219373352
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Beverly Hills, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Helmut Lang AW2003 Iridescent Skirted Bondage BomberBy Helmut LangLocated in Beverly Hills, CACondition: 8.5/10. Small stain on sleeve Tagged size: 38 Shoulder: 16in Pit to pit: 19in Length: 23in (29 in with skirt) Sleeve: 24inCategory
Early 2000s Jackets
- Issey Miyake x Takashi Murakami SS2000 Reversible CoatBy Issey MiyakeLocated in Beverly Hills, CATakashi Murakami’s work has been bellied by an idea of merging "high" and "low” art. A classically trained artist, who early on found himself fed up with the politics and constraints...Category
Early 2000s Asian Car Coats
- Jean Paul Gaultier AW1998 Velour Drip CoatBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in Beverly Hills, CAJean Paul Gaultier’s fall 1998 collection skewed heavily sartorial. Most models wore power suits with large lapels, often bearing three or six buttons. However, the show was far from...Category
1990s Overcoats
- Raf Simons AW04 'Waves' Paisley SweaterBy Raf SimonsLocated in Beverly Hills, CAHere we have a legendary sweater from a legendary collection, Raf Simon's AW04 'WAVES' collection, that features paisley bandana designs throughout the garment. One of the most recog...Category
Early 2000s Pullovers
- Raf Simons SS02 'Kollaps` Terror HoodieBy Raf SimonsLocated in Beverly Hills, CAAn extremely rare and legendary Terrorism hoodie from Raf Simons' SS02. This piece features ominous writing and haunting imagery on the front and back that was shown on the infamous ...Category
Early 2000s Belgian Pullovers
- Tom Ford Python Skin Jennifer BagBy Tom FordLocated in Beverly Hills, CAIconic Tom Ford Jennifer Bag in ultra rare Python leather.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- VALENTINO multicolor leather WATERCOLOR ROCKSTUD BACKPACK MINI BagBy ValentinoLocated in Zürich, CHauthentic Valentino Mini Rockstud Watercolor backpack in mint pastel, pink pastel, yellow pastel and blue pastel smooth lambskin featuring the signature light gold-tone pyramid studs...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Backpacks
- BALENCIAGA Power Of Dreams 3M reflective nylon Explorer crossbody belt bagBy BalenciagaLocated in Hong Kong, NTBALENCIAGA Power Of Dreams 3M reflective nylon Explorer crossbody belt bag Reference: TGAS/B01383 Brand: Balenciaga Designer: Demna Gvasalia Model: Power Of Dreams waist bag Mat...Category
2010s Italian Backpacks
- CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Backloubi blue brown gingham check spike stud backpack bagBy Christian LouboutinLocated in Hong Kong, NTCHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Backloubi blue brown gingham check spike stud backpack bag Reference: TGAS/B00741 Brand: Christian Louboutin Designer: Christian Louboutin Model: Backloubi M...Category
2010s Italian Backpacks
- new BALENCIAGA 50th COUTURE 2021 black gold logo box clutch bag leather beltBy BalenciagaLocated in Hong Kong, NTnew BALENCIAGA 50th COUTURE 2021 black gold logo box clutch bag leather belt Reference: BMPA/A00173 Brand: Balenciaga Designer: Demna Collection: 50th Couture Collection - Runway Material: Paper Color: Black Pattern: Solid Lining: Velvet Extra Details: Gifted to Balenciaga Couture clients upon purchase of a Couture look. Couture paper box of various sizes was worn as clutch bags on many looks in the Couture runway show. Textured paper Balenciaga Couture gold logo foil print on upper. Magnetic closure on box clutch. Velvet lining. Black leather belt with silver buckle...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Backpacks
- Louis Vuitton x Virgil Abloh PVC Prism Christopher BackpackBy Louis VuittonLocated in New York, NYListing Title: Louis Vuitton x Virgil Abloh PVC Prism Christopher Backpack SKU: 116043 Condition: Pre-owned Handbag Condition: Very Good ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Backpacks
- New W/ Tags Vintage Sonia Rykiel Cruise White Quilted Drawstring Backpack BagBy Sonia RykielLocated in Portland, ORWe love Sonia Rykiel and we were so happy to find this bag! We acquired this rare Sonia Rykiel Cruise bag when we handled the estate of a woman who had nothing but the best designer ...Category
1980s French Backpacks