Gianni Versace Snakeskin leather biker jacket and mini skirt set, fw 1994
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 40 - UK 8 - Fr 36 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU14026522532
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: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Roberto Cavalli multicoloured face printed metallic cotton pant suit, ss 2001By Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GBRoberto Cavalli multicoloured face printed metallic cotton pant suit comprising: blazer jacket and matching low-rise pants. Spring-Summer 2001Category
Early 2000s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Martin Margiela stockman corset runway ensemble, fw 1997By Maison Martin MargielaLocated in London, GBMartin Margiela runway ensemble comprising: Stockman corset, cream velvet 'basting' jacket, red acetate slip dress, brown leather knee high wedge Tabi boots...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld yellow tweed jacket and skirt suit, ss 1998By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in London, GB▪ Chanel skirt suit ▪ Designed by Karl Lagerfeld ▪ Sorbet yellow tweed with white, orange and grey ▪ Single breasted jacket ▪ Knee-length pencil skirt ▪ Clear buttons with incase...Category
1990s French Jackets
- Roberto Cavalli yellow iridescent snakeskin pant suit with sequins, ss 2001By Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GB▪ Roberto Cavalli yellow iridescent snakeskin pant suit ▪ Fitted jacket with double-ended gold zipper ▪ Zip-up cuffs ▪ Matching slim-fit snakeskin pants...Category
Early 2000s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Roberto Cavalli beige croc-embossed leather jacket and mini skirt set, fw 2000By Roberto CavalliLocated in London, GB▪ Roberto Cavalli beige croc-embossed leather 2-piece set ▪ Fitted leather jacket ▪ High-waisted mini skirt ▪ Matching wide belt ▪ Jacket: Sma...Category
Early 2000s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Issey Miyake Fête by Naoki Takizawa monster jumpsuit, Autumn-Winter 2005By Issey Miyake, Naoki TakizawaLocated in London, GBIssey Miyake Fête by Naoki Takizawa Autumn-Winter 2005 monster jumpsuitCategory
Early 2000s Japanese Jumpsuits
- Chanel Chic Beige Linen & Cotton Blend Skirt Suit c 2000 Size 40By ChanelLocated in University City, MOChanel Chic beige linen & cotton blend skirt suit. French Size 40 The stylish linen blend skirt suit is designed with a loose boxy jacket Paired wit...Category
Early 2000s French Skirt Suits
- Vintage YSL Yves Saint Laurent Neutral Beige Pants & Jacket 2pc SuitBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis vintage Yves Saint Laurent neutral pantsuit from the late 1970s or early 1980s exemplifies YSL's enduring commitment to theme elements in his designs. A reinterpretation of the classic safari look, this ensemble comprises a tan jacket...Category
20th Century French Trouser Pant Suits
- Giorgio Sant Angelo Black & Red Suede Vest And Skirt EnsembleBy Giorgio di Sant' AngeloLocated in Los Angeles, CAResurrection Vintage is excited to offer a vintage black and red Giorgio Sant Angelo suede vest and skirt ensemble featuring a red vest with black and green dot trim, and a black sue...Category
20th Century Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vintage Emanuel Ungaro Printed Two-Piece SetBy Emanuel UngaroLocated in Los Angeles, CAPrinted Two-Piece Set by Emanuel Ungaro Made in Italy Tank top and pants set Brown wood grain print throughout both pieces Semi-sheer Zipper and...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Iconic Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Saharienne EnsembleBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in New York, NYIconic, rare and early Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Saharienne Style Wardrobe from the 1970's. 3 piece ensemble which was purchased but unworn with original tags from Bonwit Teller...Category
1970s French Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Dolce & Gabbana Pink Tweed Skirt Suit with a Rhinestone Logo Trim - Size 44By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis Dolce & Gabbana tweed skirt suit is blush colored with a trim on both pieces that is fully covered in rhinestones. The rhinestones are crystal colored except for some black ones...Category
Early 2000s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
This Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen Ensemble Is Part Zsa Zsa Gabor, Part ‘Blade Runner’
As Burton steps away from the brand, it’s a fitting time to revisit one of her visionary designs.
Vivienne Westwood’s Punk Spirit Lives On in This ’90s Tartan Ensemble
The shorts suit in a mash-up of patterns with an asymmetrical cut speaks to the designer’s rebellious spirit.