Vintage F/W 1991 Cardigan & Skirt Suit Set
About the Item
- Designer:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 6 (UK)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3757222833052
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 PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Vintage 1994 Three Piece Tailored SetBy ChanelLocated in London, GBChanel 1994 three piece black tailored set. Features vest, cardigan and shorts, embroidery around the neckline, pockets, hem and Chanel logo on the buttons. In excellent vintage cond...Category
1990s French Twin Sets
- S/S 2004 Rasta Print Skirt Co-ordBy Christian DiorLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this iconic John Galliano for Dior Spring Summer 2004 rare printed top and skirt set with a rasta motif print. Features silver logo hardware with four front...Category
Early 2000s European Twin Sets
- Vintage 1990’s Skirt SuitBy Thierry MuglerLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this Thierry Mugler 1990’s red skirt suit. Blazer features zip closure and peplum hem. Skirt features a zip and button at the bac...Category
1990s French Skirt Suits
- Vintage S/S 2001 Gargoyles Print Mesh Co-ordBy Jean Paul GaultierLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this Jean Paul Gaultier Spring Summer 2001 gargoyles print mesh co-ord set. Features short sleeved top and low waisted trousers...Category
Early 2000s French Twin Sets
- Vintage Reworked Strapless Co-ord SetBy Istante by VersaceLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this Versace Istante Reworked Strapless Co-ord Set. Features strapless top with hooks down back and matching high waisted mini skirt with concealed zipper. ...Category
1990s Italian Twin Sets
- Vintage Corset & Skirt SetBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GBWe are excited to present this Vintage D&G long sleeve corset and tartan skirt set. Corset features brushed grey fabric, corset cups, lace front detailing with silver hardware and bo...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Giorgio di Sant Angelo Suede Vest and Skirt Ensemble, Circa 1970sBy Giorgio di Sant' AngeloLocated in Brooklyn, NY1970s two piece vest and skirt set. Midnight blue suede & interior leather. Circle cut outs with electric green leather "polka dot" inlay. Sleeveless v...Category
1970s American Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Morphew Collection Indigo Blue Tiger Head Print Cold Rayon Bias PajamasBy MorphewLocated in New York, NYMorphew Collection Indigo Blue Tiger Head Print Cold Rayon Bias Pajamas MORPHEW COLLECTION is made entirely by hand in our NYC Ateliér of rare antique materials sourced from around t...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pajamas
- Chanel Skirt Suit Haute Couture, circa 1987-1988By ChanelLocated in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FRChanel - (Made in France) Skirt suit composed of a black crepe jacket trimmed with big grain, and a wool skirt with houndstooth patterns. No size nor composition label, it fits a 36F...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Wrap-over and skirt printed ensemble with ruffles and raffia JPGaultier SoleilBy Jean Paul Gaultier SoleilLocated in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, FRWrap-over and skirt printed ensemble with ruffles and raffia fringes. Fabric composition : 100% polyester and raffia. The top is wrap and the skirt is asymmetrical ( shorter on the s...Category
1990s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Romeo Gigli for Callaghan Spring-Summer 1991 silk pant and shawl ensembleBy Romeo GigliLocated in London, GBRomeo Gigli for Callaghan Spring-Summer 1991 silk pant and shawl ensembleCategory
1990s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
- Chanel Cream Tweed Skirt Suit with Coco Chanel ButtonsBy ChanelLocated in New York, NYChanel Cream Skirt Suit with Coco Chanel Buttons. This Chanel ensemble is classic and sophisticated. The large black Coco Chanel buttons give this p...Category
1990s Skirt Suits