1990s Gianni Versace Open Back Halter Evening Gown
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: XS (US)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Austin, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16114555122
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: Austin, TX
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- 1990s Romeo Gigli Pleated Dress Pockets Square Back 3DBy Romeo GigliLocated in Austin, TX1990s Romeo Gigli Pleated Dress Pockets Square Back 3D condition: Excellent Size MediumCategory
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white striped trainBy Roland KleinLocated in Austin, TX1980s Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white train. Acetate fabric. 34" bust, 26" waist, 40" hips, 48" front length - 54 1/2" ba...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 2008 F/W Comme des Garçons Cut out Heart DressBy Comme des Garçons, Rei KawakuboLocated in Austin, TXLook #16 from the Fall 2008 collection. 2008 F/W Comme des Garçons Dress Pleated & Mesh Accents Buckle Closure Distressed undone hems and open side Bust: 29", Waist: 27", Hip: 44",...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 2011 Vivienne Westwood blue taffeta off shoulder gownBy Vivienne WestwoodLocated in Austin, TXVivienne Westwood blue taffeta gown gold label off the shoulder, fishtail train fitted waist Condition: Good, some wear and spotting near hem Bust 34" , Waist 25...Category
2010s European Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Badgley Mischka Black Evening Gown with Lace InsertBy BADGLEY MISHCKA, Badgley MischkaLocated in Austin, TXBadgley Mischka black evening gown with lace insert. Condition: Excellent. Size 10Category
1990s American Evening Dresses
- 1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Taffeta Evening Skirt and Sheer Bow BlouseBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Austin, TX1980s Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Taffeta Evening skirt and sheer bow blouse. Condition: Excellent. Size Small / 36 35" bust, 25" waistCategory
1970s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
- F/W 1996 Gianni Versace Couture Purple Satin Yellow Lace Rhinestone Slip DressBy Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a stunning yellow and purple satin Gianni Versace Couture dress, designed by Gianni Versace. From the Fall/Winter 1996 collection, this gorgeous dress debuted as part of l...Category
1990s Italian Cocktail Dresses
- Patricia Lester Fuschia Pleated and Bugle Beaded Silk GownBy Patricia LesterLocated in New York, NYElegant Fortuny inspired 2 pc gown by Patricia Lester. Hand pleated and gathered silk panels are used to create this modernized version of a Fortuny Peplos...Category
Late 20th Century British Peplos
- 1970s Blue and Red Rose Print Silk Jersey DressLocated in London, GBThis late 1970s to early 1980s French couture silk jersey maxi dress has a beautiful blue and red rose print design against a darker blue background. It has a high, round neckline an...Category
1970s French Maxi Dress
- Azzedine Alaia Vintage Lilac Fitted DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Naples, FLAzzedine Alaia Vintage Fitted Plunged Décolleté Mini Dress M All Eyes on Alaïa For the last half-century, the world’s most fashionable and adventuresom...Category
1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1970s Purple Lavender Lightweight Cotton Voile Vintage 70s Wrap DressLocated in San Diego, CAAmazing 1970s purple and lavender lightweight cotton voile short sleeve wrap dress ! Features a vibrant regal purple with lavender ruffle details. Elastic waistband. Both colors on e...Category
1970s American Cocktail Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Lace DressBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Los Angeles, CAHaute Couture Lace Dress by Yves Saint Laurent White lace detail on bust White detachable belt Navy skirt Sleeveless Strapless Structured bust Scoop cut out on back Column silhoue...Category
20th Century French Evening Dresses and Gowns