S/S 1994 Gianni Versace Safety Pin Medusa Gold Brown Acetate Sunglasses
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Height: 2 in (5.08 cm)Width: 5.5 in (13.97 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Light scratches and signs of wear throughout.
- Seller Location:West Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2388216757632
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: West Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- 1980s Christian Dior Honey Geometric Oversized CD SunglassesBy Christian DiorLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a pair of fabulous oversized Christian Dior sunglasses. From the 1980s, these honey-colored sunglasses feature an oversized octagonal frame and are made complete with a re...Category
1980s European Visors
- Christian Dior by John Galliano Faux Turtle Shell Rimless Oversized D SunglassesBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a pair of brown faux turtle shell Christian Dior rimless sunglasses, designed by John Galliano. From the early 2000s, thes...Category
Early 2000s European Visors
- F/W 2003 Christian Dior by John Galliano Green Yellow Wrap Bandage SunglassesBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a pair of green and yellow Christian Dior wrap sunglasses, designed by John Galliano. From the Fall/Winter 2003 collection, these fabul...Category
Early 2000s French Sunglasses
- 1960s/70s Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Paneled Felt HatBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a beautiful orange paneled Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture hat. From the 1960-70s, this custom, made-to-order, piece features felt panels...Category
1960s French Hats
- NWT 2000s Thierry Mugler Transparent Purple Metallic Sport SunglassesBy Thierry MuglerLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a pair of incredible purple Thierry Mugler sunglasses, designed by Manfred Mugler. From the early 2000s, these sporty biker-style sunglasses feature purple transparent arm...Category
Early 2000s French Sunglasses
- Early 2000s Christian Dior by John Galliano Pink Gold Rimless Shield SunglassesBy Christian Dior, John Galliano for Christian DiorLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a pair of dusty pink Christian Dior by John Galliano sunglasses. From the early 2000s, these rimless shield sunglasses showcase exquisit...Category
Early 2000s French Sunglasses
- Versace Bold Tangerine with Signature Logo and gold hardware studs SunglassesBy Gianni VersaceLocated in New York, NYVersace wonderful eye-popping "limited Edition" bold tangerine sunglasses are accented with their signature logo surrounded with micro gold hardware studs as well as detailed etching...Category
Early 2000s Italian Sunglasses
- Dolce & Gabbana "Limited Edition" Gilded Gold Hardware & Merlot Lucite SunglassBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in New York, NYDolce & Gabbana "Limited Edition" double frame front of polished gilded gold hardware surrounded with thick merlot lucite with both arms etched with "Dolce & Gabbana". The arms are c...Category
1990s Italian Sunglasses
- Prada Steel-Gray Accented with Italian-Red 'Loop' Lucite Mirrored SunglassesBy PradaLocated in New York, NYPrada Lightweight Steel-Gray accented with Italian-Red 'Loop' lucite Mirrored sunglasses measures 5 3/4 inches across the front, height measures 2 inches, and the arms are 5 3/4...Category
1990s Italian Sunglasses
- i h-i Koln Polished Gold Titanium with Hand-Carved and Polished Wood SunglassesLocated in New York, NYi h - i "Limited Edition" polished gold titanium accented with hand-craved and hand-polished wood on the arms mirrored sunglasses measures 5 1/4 inches across the front, height is 1 ...Category
Early 2000s Japanese Sunglasses
- Moschino Tortoise Shell with Interior & Exterior Name-Plate ArmsBy MoschinoLocated in New York, NYMoschino wonderfully detailed tortoise shell sunglass are engraved with the signature name-plate on both the exterior as well as the interior of both arms. The arms are also detailed...Category
1990s Italian Sunglasses
- Laura Biagiotti Black Lucid with Gray & Cream "Snake" Lucid SunglassesBy Laura BiagiottiLocated in New York, NYLaura Biagiotti wonderful combination of black lucid frames accented with gray & cream "snake" lucid on top of the frames measures 6" in width, 2 7/16" in hei...Category
1980s Italian Sunglasses