Gianni Versace Oroton Metal Mesh Runway Gown, Spring-Summer 1983
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 42 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. One missing little chain link at the point of the V-neck in the front (barely visible) and some pulled threads (see picture 9).
- Seller Location:Geneva, CH
- Reference Number:Seller: 1DJD02351stDibs: LU5601040962
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: Lausanne, Switzerland
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Yves Saint Laurent Smocked Floral-Print Silk-Chiffon Maxi DressBy Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Geneva, CHCut from airy sheer silk chiffon, this rare early 70s Saint Laurent Rive Gauche maxi dress is shirred from under the chest to the hips for a flattering - though comfortable - closer ...Category
1970s French Maxi Dresses
- Givenchy Attributed Haute Couture Organza Cocktail DressLocated in Geneva, CHEnd of fifties-early sixties organza floral print dress attributed to Hubert de Givenchy. Train-cape in the back, matching bow belt and refined draped bustier. The dress fastens at t...Category
1950s French Cocktail Dresses
- Maggy Rouff Haute Couture Open-Back Sequin-Embellished Tulle Cocktail DressBy Maggy RouffLocated in Geneva, CHChanneling the timeless glamour, this late 50's - early 60's Maggy Rouff haute couture cocktail dress is infinitely flattering from every angle. Cut from black silk and tulle in a fi...Category
1960s French Cocktail Dresses
- Ted Lapidus Couture Halterneck Midi DressBy Ted LapidusLocated in Geneva, CHLet's embrace the 70's with this Ted Lapidus haute couture evening dress ! Constructed in black silk, this midi-length features a glamorous plunging halter-neckline, artfully embroid...Category
1970s French Summer Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Knit & Tulle Mini Dress, Fall-Winter 1988By Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Geneva, CHAnthony Vaccarello has dived into Saint Laurent's archives once more ! We can find a close inspiration of this original 80's dress in the current 2019 Fall-Winter collection (see pic...Category
1980s French Mini Dresses
- Miu Miu Embellished Cocktail Dress, Resort 2012By Miu Miu, Miuccia PradaLocated in Geneva, CHMiu Miu’s label has a retro-inspired style that is kept fresh with bold prints and sparkling embellishment. Made in Italy from soft crepe viscose, this 20’s silhouette cocktail dress...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cocktail Dresses
- 1990S ALBERTA FERRETTI Cream Bias Cut Silk Charmeuse & Tulle Lace Empire Waist 1By Alberta FerrettiLocated in New York, NY1990S ALBERTA FERRETTI Cream Bias Cut Silk Charmeuse & Tulle Lace Empire Waist Bridal Gown With Embroidered SleevesCategory
1990s Italian Wedding Dresses
- 1990S HELMUT LANG Off White Silk Organza Dress Overlaid With Zipper & PailetteBy Helmut LangLocated in New York, NY1990S HELMUT LANG Off White Silk Organza Dress Overlaid With Zipper & Pailette LaceCategory
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Mila Schon 60s vintage jewelry paillettes mini DressLocated in Carnate, ITMila Schon jewelry dress. Vintage piece. 60s. In silk. Lined. Embroidered with wonderful sequins and silver beads. Lurex details. Size and composition label missing. Wears an interna...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Jean Paul Gaultier Color Block Striped Rainbow Vintage Body Tattoo Maxi DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRColor block striped dress by Jean Paul Gaultier! Very good conditon! SIZE: small, but it fits from Small to medium. Stretchy fabric! Model`s size in photos: XS. Length: 130 cm / 5...Category
1990s Italian Ball Gowns
- Jean Paul Gaultier Tropical Butterfly Bella Hadid Flamingo Vintage Maxi DressBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in PARIS, FRWonderful tropical dress by Jean Paul Gaultier! Super vintage piece from the 90s! Bella Hadid wears the same pattern, check the photos! Flamingos, butterflies, Italian baroque motif...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses
- Vivienne Westwood 'Cut, Slash & Pull' blue voile oversized shirt dress, ss 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood; dusty blue cotton voile oversized blouse with large bishop sleeves, pointed collar, and ascending hemline from front. Signature slashes throughout the whole blouse...Category
1990s British Evening Dresses and Gowns