Gianni Versace red cotton cutwork mini skirt suit, ss 2002
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: IT 40 - FR 36 - UK 8 - US 4 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU140212322792
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.
- Vivienne Westwood red and black equestrian style pant suit, fw 1994By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood equestrian style pant suit comprising: red wool jacket with accentuated waist, shoulder pads, large double lapel and gold orb button fastenings, high ride black vel...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood red wool back-to-front skirt suit, fw 1991By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red wool back-to-front skirt suit with gold fox engraved button fastenings at the centre back opening and black velvet Peter Pan collar. Vivienne Westwood was photographed wearing this suit at various public events in 1991-1992, including the presentation of her fall-winter 1992 collection (March, 1992), photographed alongside Azzedine Alaia, Kylie Minogue...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Dolce & Gabbana coral cropped jacket and mini skirt suit, ss 1992By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana coral cropped jacket and mini skirt suit ▪ Viscose, silk and elastane blend ▪ Textured surface ▪ Cropped single-breasted blazer jac...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Jean Paul Gaultier red cyber dot printed lycra hooded catsuit, fw 1995By Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GB▪ Jean Paul Gaultier red cyber dot catsuit ▪ Iconic dots printed in the form of a female body ▪ Fitted hood ▪ Metal zipper ▪ Size Medium ▪ 78% Nylon, 22%...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood red wool cropped jacket and pencil skirt suit, fw 1993By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red wool skirt suit comprising: cropped jacket with notched lapel and hidden button closure; calf-length pencil skirt with high leg slit. Fall-Winter 1993Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Vivienne Westwood red and cream Harris Tweed corseted skirt suit, fw 1995By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GBVivienne Westwood red and cream checked Harris Tweed three piece skirt suit comprising: halter-neck waistcoat with sixteen button fastenings, built-in corset and large lapels, equestrian style jacket with padded shoulders, large lapels and two button fastenings attaching to waistcoat, and above-the-knee pencil skirt. 'Vive La Cocotte...Category
1990s British Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Etro Red Silk Straight Leg Trousers LBy EtroLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Veronica Etro's impeccable craftsmanship and detailed tailoring are seen in these trousers. These pants are tailored from lustrous silk- blend in a loose, straight-leg silhouette and...Category
2010s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Chloe Burgundy Velvet Trouser MBy ChloéLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2Chloé's velvet trouser is made of quality materials and features a comfortable waistband with tie fastening, two pockets, and ankle cuffs. Dress it up with a sleeveless top or T-shir...Category
2010s French Trouser Pant Suits
- Alaia High Waisted Skirt and Crop TopBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Austin, TXAlaia High Waisted Skirt and Crop Top 100% cotton Condition: Very good, some all over wear 26" bust, 23" waist, 30" hips, 25.5" length Sz SCategory
1980s French Skirt Suits
- 1980s Valentino Midi Skirt Suit with Red Jacket and Velvet DetailsBy ValentinoLocated in Toronto, Ontario1980s Valentino midi skirt suit with velvet details. The collarless jacket is made of a horizontally ribbed red fabric with two front pockets on t...Category
1980s Italian Skirt Suits
- Yves Saint Laurent Variation Fucsia tailleurBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Carnate, ITYves Saint Laurent, Variation Tailleur. Jacket + skirt. Made in France. Fabric is a mix between cotton and silk. Amazing shining Fucsia. Fully lined in red acetate fabric. Featuring ...Category
Late 20th Century Italian Skirt Suits
- NWT S/S 1991 Gianni Versace Couture Orange Metallic Runway Skirt SuitBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a bright orange runway skirt suit masterpiece, designed by Gianni Versace. This skirt suit was debuted as look 11 on the Gianni Versace S/S 1991 runway. Metallic threading...Category
1990s 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.