A/W 1994 Gianni Versace Metallic Gold Cutout Mini Dress
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 31.1 in (79 cm)Marked Size: 2 (US)Bust: 30.4 in (77.22 cm)Waist: 26.4 in (67.06 cm)Hip: 30.4 in (77.22 cm)
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:North Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3084218849622
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: North Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- S/S 2009 Maison Martin Margiela Red Jersey Asymmetrical Drape DressBy Maison Martin MargielaLocated in North Hollywood, CAS/S 2009 Maison Martin Margiela red jersey asymmetrical drape dress. Asymmetrical stretch jersey dress with cap sleeve on left side and elbow-l...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- 1983 Oscar de la Renta White Asymmetrical Above-Knee Dress with BowsBy Oscar De La RentaLocated in North Hollywood, CA1983 Oscar de la Renta 'Miss D' white asymmetrical above-knee dress with black silk-satin bows at strap and hip. Drop waist one-shoulder dress with silk crepe fabric that drapes thro...Category
1980s Day Dresses
- 1990's Geoffrey Beene Ecru Striped Corset Strapless Cocktail DressBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in North Hollywood, CA1990's Geoffrey Beene ecru striped corset strapless cocktail dress. Cream dress with full skirt, featuring large pleats. Can be styled with or without spaghetti straps depending on d...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Resort 2000 John Galliano Black Openwork Knit Knee-Length Slip DressBy John GallianoLocated in North Hollywood, CAResort 2000 John Galliano black openwork knit knee-length slip dress. Sleeveless spaghetti strap bodycon dress; semi-sheer open perforated geometric vertical stripe knit mesh. Fully ...Category
Early 2000s Day Dresses
- A/W 1999 Maison Martin Margiela Deep Rust Color-way 'Lining' Long Sleeve DressBy Maison Martin MargielaLocated in North Hollywood, CAA/W 1999 Maison Martin Margiela deep rust color-way 'lining' long sleeve dress. Long sleeve midi dress created with interior lining of dress, with 'necklace' formed by loop tie that ...Category
1990s Day Dresses
- Rare 1960s Pierre Cardin Purple Midi Dress with Silver BreastplateBy Pierre CardinLocated in North Hollywood, CARare 1960's Pierre Cardin purple midi dress with silver geometric cutout breastplate from the Space Age collection. Sleeveless dress with medium-length center front slit. Silver-tone...Category
1960s Day Dresses
- Valentino 1980s Pinstripe Chain Link Belted Midi DressBy ValentinoLocated in Scottsdale, AZElevate your wardrobe with the timeless elegance of the Valentino 1980s Pinstripe Chain Link Belted Midi Dress. This exquisite dress is a true embodiment of classic sophistication an...Category
1980s Italian Day Dresses
- Teal & Multicolor M Missoni Runway 2019 Maxi Dress Size IT 40By M MissoniLocated in New York, NYTeal and multicolor metallic maxi dress by M Missoni. From the Runway 2019 Collection. Chevron pattern throughout. V-neck. Cap sleeves. 36" bust, 32" waist, 50" length, 17.5" shoulde...Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Day Dresses
- CHANEL anthracite grey viscose 2010 10A SHANGHAI KNIT Dress 36 XSBy ChanelLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Chanel cap sleeve rib knit dress in black viscose (63%) and polyamide (27%). Features 2 pockets on the front. Opens with five CC buttons at the neck. Has been worn and...Category
2010s Casual Dresses
- Emilio Pucci Blue Silk DressBy Emilio PucciLocated in Paris, FREmilio Pucci blue silk jersey printed dress featuring an iconic geometric print, a front gathered detail. Composition: 100% silk Estimated size IT42/38fr/US6 /UK10 Made in Italy. In...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- Azzedine Alaia S/S 1985 Vintage Plunged Cutout Bodycon Green DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia 1985 Vintage Plunged Cutout Bodycon Green Dress Size MCategory
1990s Day Dresses
- 1984 Yves Saint Laurent Floral Silk Runway Dress w Black Velvet TrimBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis iconic Yves Saint Laurent dress is in a fine floral silk in shades of dove grey and pink on a black background with black velvet trim at the cuffs, yoke and over the shoulders. ...Category
1980s European Day Dresses