Versace Vanitas Medea Flap Bag Studded Barocco Leather
View Similar Items
Versace Vanitas Medea Flap Bag Studded Barocco Leather
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)Width: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Depth: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:NY, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: 29033/011stDibs: LU8424109651
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” — as 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, 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. 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.
- Louis Vuitton Vanilla Epi Nocturne GM Bag, Compact Wallet and Make Up Bag SetBy Louis VuittonLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in handbag making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Louis Vuitton always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. This beautiful bag takes timeless creation...Category
2010s French Shoulder Bags
$2,280 Sale Price20% Off - HERMES Evelyne PM Natural Light Barenia Leather SHW Shoulder Bag, 2000By HermèsLocated in Holland, PAHERMES EVELYNE PM NATURAL LIGHT BARENIA LEATHER SHW SHOULDER BAG, 2000 This bag is in GREAT condition. Features the gorgeous natural barenia, beautifully aging leather (though ve...Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Contemporary Shoulder Bags
- HERMES Tsako Sako Convertible Red Ardenne Leather BagBy HermèsLocated in Holland, PATsako Sako Convertible Red Ardenne Leather Shoulder Bag by Hermes. This bag is in GREAT condition. Features red ardenne leather exterior, and with...Category
1990s French Shoulder Bags
- Hermes Evelyne GM red Epsom leather GHW shoulder bag, 1994By Hermès, Evelyne GMLocated in Holland, PAHERMES EVELYNE GM RED EPSOM LEATHER GHW SHOULDER BAG, 1994 This bag is in GOOD condition. Features soft leather exterior with sueded leather interior. Tr...Category
1990s French Shoulder Bags
- Chanel Classic Peach Pink Timeless Double Flap Caviar 10" Shoulder BagBy ChanelLocated in Pasadena, CAChanel Classic Peach Pink Timeless Double Flap Caviar 10" Shoulder Bag *1444XXXX * Made in France *Comes with the original box, dustbag, tag and control number bar *Silver Hardware ...Category
2010s French Structured Shoulder Bags
- HERMES beige Natural Box leather KELLY 32 RETOURNE BagBy HermèsLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Hermes Kelly I 32 Retourne in Natural Box leather with gold-tone hardware. Lined in Chevre (goat skin) with two open pockets against the fro...Category
1980s French Crossbody Bags and Messenger Bags