Gianni Versace Silver Metal Mesh Waist Belt With Rhinestones, 1980s
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Width: 2.4 in (6.1 cm)Length: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Marked Size: 75 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Munich, DE
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU78533260013
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: Munich, Germany
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- 1970s Silver Metal Heavy Belt Buckle With Enamel Deer & Mountain MotifLocated in Munich, DEThis lovely heavy and solid oval-shaped belt buckle is made from silver-toned metal. The buckle features an enamel design of deer in the mountains with turquoise sky, brown mountains...Category
1970s Belts
- 1970s Roberta di Camerino Silver Metal Logo Charm Chain Link Belt Necklace StrapBy Giuliana Coen Camerino, Roberta Di CamerinoLocated in Munich, DEStunning silver metal signature Roberta di Camerino "R" charm pendant link belt with hook closure. A very versatile design as it may be worn in three different ways: as a belt (at waist or hip), a necklace or as a shoulder strap of a clutch bag (see last picture). Adjustable length! The house of Roberta di Camerino was founded by Giuliana Coen Camerino (1920-2002) in 1945 in Venice, Italy. The company's name is a combination of the name Roberta, taken from Giuliana Camerino's favourite song "Smoke gets in your eyes" and Camerino, her husband's surname. Giuliana Camerino was one of the first designers who created the idea of an easily recognizable status handbag. The neo-baroque style bags were produced of "Soprarizzo" velvet – originally used for furnishings – in the most beautiful and unusual colour combinations and clasps and studs created by the craftsmen of brass ornaments for gondolas. The result were truly revolutionary and unique bags...Category
1970s Italian Belts
- MCM Black Visetos Monogram Belt With Gold-Plated Logo Laurel Buckle Size SBy MCMLocated in Munich, DEThis 1980s MCM waist belt dates from that period when the company still belonged to its founder Michael Cromer. The black design is crafted from the bra...Category
1980s German Belts
- 2005 JUDITH LEIBER Crystal Embellished Gold Tone Double Stretch Metal BeltBy Judith LeiberLocated in Munich, DESynonymous with American luxury, Judith Leiber handbags and accessories are stylish, sophisticated and often whimsical. This is an eye-catching and elegant signed and dated Judith L...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Belts
- Léonard Paris Signature Floral Print Silk Covered Leather Waist Belt, 1980sBy LeonardLocated in Munich, DEThis striking Léonard Paris 1980s waist belt is made of silk covered off-white leather and features a vibrant signature Léonard floral print in lilac, yellow, blue and green against ...Category
1980s Belts
- 1970s Roberta di Camerino Green Red Blue Trompe l'Oeil Buckle Motif Velvet BeltBy Giuliana Coen Camerino, Roberta Di CamerinoLocated in Munich, DEStunning extremely rare and collectible 1970s Roberta di Camerino trompe l'oeil belt. The plush velvet waist belt features the iconic belt illusion print in Roberta di Camerino's signature colouring of bottle green, raspberry-red and navy blue. Beautifully elaborate gilt-metal buckle, belt end and belt loops. The design has four holes, is lined in black leather and gold foil stamped “MADE IN ITALY BY "ROBERTA“ DI CAMERINO LEATHER-LINED". As Giuliana Coen Camerino once said: "Velvet fascinated me, because of its vibrant colours. Night blue, deep red, bottle green. They matched perfectly. I spent hours and hours searching for the best way to make this brand new fabric work." The house of Roberta di Camerino was founded by Giuliana Coen Camerino (1920-2002) in 1945 in Venice, Italy. The company's name is a combination of the name Roberta, taken from Giuliana Camerino's favourite song "Smoke gets in your eyes" and Camerino, her husband's surname. Giuliana Camerino was one of the first designers who created the idea of an easily recognizable status handbag. The neo-baroque style bags were produced of "Soprarizzo" velvet – originally used for furnishings – in the most beautiful and unusual colour combinations and clasps and studs created by the craftsmen of brass ornaments for gondolas. The result were truly revolutionary and unique bags...Category
1970s Italian Belts
- Vintage Barry Kieselstein-Cord Wide Sun Buckle Silver ToneBy Barry Kieselstein-Cord 1Located in New York, NYThe winking sun buckle is one of Kieselstein-Cord's early designs and one of the most popular. This vintage wide sun belt buckle comes in silver tone hardware...Category
Late 20th Century American Belts
- Versace Rare 1980s Silver Belt BuckleBy VersaceLocated in Scottsdale, AZIntroducing the Versace Rare 1980s Silver Belt Buckle – a true masterpiece that encapsulates the essence of luxury, style, and timelessness. Crafted to pe...Category
1980s Italian Belts
- 1970's Gucci Silver Enamel BeltBy GucciLocated in Toronto, OntarioBeautiful 1970’s Gucci silver hardware belt with blue and white enamel detailing. The belt has three sizings and closes with a classic style buck...Category
1970s Italian Belts
- Vintage "Art Nouveau" Hand-Etched Silver Hardware Belt BuckleLocated in New York, NYThis beautifully detailed hand-etched "Art Nouveau" silver hardware belt buckle measures 2 inches x 1 6/8 inches.Category
1940s American Belts
- Sterling Silver Native American Turquoise and Coral Belt Buckle by VandeverLocated in Wallkill, NYThis stunning piece made by Navajo artisan Vandever is made up of huge pieces of Turquoise and coral. This measures 3.53 x 2.88 inches and Hallmarked on the back. This is out of a ma...Category
1940s American Belts
- Antique Art Nouveau Sterling Silver Chased Belt BuckleLocated in Wallkill, NYStunning work here on this buckle. Chasing all over the front, displaying great detailing. Hallmarked on the back side. Great Patina as well. Measuring 3.18 inches wide x 2.72 inches...Category
Early 1900s Unknown Victorian Belts