Gianni Versace Black Leather Medusa Handbag
View Similar Items
Gianni Versace Black Leather Medusa Handbag
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 7.88 in (20 cm)Width: 8.08 in (20.5 cm)Depth: 2.37 in (6 cm)
- Style:Contemporary (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:The corners of the back are a little scratched and there are some scratches on the back of the bag. But overall the bag is in good preloved condition.
- Seller Location:Antwerp, BE
- Reference Number:Seller: 144.181stDibs: LU400634172
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” — 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, Versace 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. 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.
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.
- Chanel Classic Double Flap Bag Quilted Lambskin GoldBy ChanelLocated in Palm Beach, FLThe famous Chanel Classic Double Flap new model shoulder bag is created in black diamond-quilted lambskin leather and adorned with gold-tone turn...Category
Early 2000s Structured Shoulder Bags
- BOTTEGA VENETA black leather CHAIN POUCH Shoulder BagBy Bottega VenetaLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Bottega Veneta Chain Pouch bag in supple black calfskin leather with a chunky golden chain handle. Opens with a magnetic-...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Structured Shoulder Bags
- Chanel 2.55 Reissue Transparent Classic Flap Black Lamb Leather Vintage Flap BagBy ChanelLocated in Miami, FLChanel Transparent Classic 2.55 Flap Vintage Clear Naked Flap Chanel Transparent Classic Medium Flap Bag with black lambskin piping. Features Chanel interwoven black lambskin chain ...Category
Early 2000s French Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Chanel Vintage Red & Black Layered CC Minaudière Bag ClutchBy ChanelLocated in Miami, FLChanel Vintage Red & Black Layered CC Shoulder Bag circa 2009 black/red leather gold-tone hardware signature interlocking CC logo stud embellishment foldover top leather and chain bracelet...Category
Early 2000s Italian Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags
- Chanel Paris Dallas Classic Flap Small Mini Quilted Saddle Black Nubuck BagBy ChanelLocated in Miami, FLChanel Classic Flap Small Mini Quilted Saddle Black Nubuck Leather Bag Pre-Fall 2013 Diamond stitched nubuck leather Ruthenium classic interwoven chain Classic CC turn lock Satin-canvas interior lining Main interior slide pocket Rear exterior zippered pocket Rear flap opens to rear pocket with magnetic snap Made in Italy Strap drop: 23" Single 12" Doubled 5.25" H x 7" W x 3.5" D Same version of this bag in brown seen on Victoria Secret...Category
2010s Italian Structured Shoulder Bags
- Chanel Rare Vintage 22 Black Quilted Swarovski Charm Shoulder Hobo Tote BagBy ChanelLocated in Miami, FLChanel Rare Vintage 22 Black Quilted Swarovski Charm Crossbody Shoulder Hobo Tote Bag Year: 2006-2008 Silver hardware Black calfskin diamond quilte...Category
Early 2000s Italian Hobo Bags