A Retrospective: Gianni Versace (1946-1997)

[Luxury's Lap]

Found while looking for other things and thought I should post it.


(fotostorica.it)

 

[SomethingElse]

^ Lovely photograph. He was a giant!

metmuseum.org

 

[ShesElectric]

Hey guys, I never really got to hear anything about what happened. Can anyone shed some light on the tragedy?

Thanks

Btw, MissoniHeiress, is your tfs name just a name or do you really have any relation to the House of Missoni?

 

[ShesElectric]

I should add thought, for the sake of the thread that I do very much love the older Versace stuff, not so much what Donatella has done.

 

[Dkammern]

i saw a tv show where they narrated how everything happened and how everyone dealed with it (friends of him, family, even how police acted to catch the criminal) it was broadcasted on ARTE last summer but it looked like and old documentary so it was probably not the first time it was shown.

i loved the images from the funeral. Anna wintour, karl lagerfeld, princess diana, elton john... everybody was there! it was sad yet extremely beautiful and passioned... just what gianni was all about i guess

 

[clay]

He was truly an inspiration for me as a teen just getting interested in fashion! My sister called me crying when she heard of his death. We would go to his shop in SF whenever we could.

 

[AlbI_MH]

i saw a tv show where they narrated how everything happened and how everyone dealed with it (friends of him, family, even how police acted to catch the criminal) it was broadcasted on ARTE last summer but it looked like and old documentary so it was probably not the first time it was shown.

i loved the images from the funeral. Anna wintour, karl lagerfeld, princess diana, elton john... everybody was there! it was sad yet extremely beautiful and passioned... just what gianni was all about i guess

I can't understand how you can really love images which concern a tragic event like the one we're talking about. BTW that was actually a memorial, not a funeral.

 

[Salvatore]

Maybe he meant that he loved not the actual images, but more or less the symbolism of everyone coming together to pay respect for not only a wonderful designer, but a wonderful man in general. To see such figures as a top editor, top designer, princess, and famous singer, as well as others means he touched a lot of people which is quite special. At least that's how I read it.

 

[Dkammern]

^^ thank you Salvatore ! For a moment i felt like a heartless sadist.. now i see i might not be. Obvioulsy you read it the way i expected people to do so...

Albi_MH i really don't know what else to say... what you'll read in both my post and Salvatore's pretty much says it all didn't mean to offend anybody, needless to say the memory of Gianni Versace

 

[Luxx]

Versace S/S 96



Credit | Firstview

 

[Luxx]

Continued




Credit | Firstview.com

 

[Luxx]

Continued...



Credit | Firstview.com

 

[Luxx]

And at last the blushing bride



Credit | Firstview.com

 

[SomethingElse]

Even the thumbnail images make me dizzy with joy. He was a most colorful and inspired designer, and a truly remarkable human being. B)

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/fashion/versace.asp

Gianni Versace: A Piece of Italian Fashion History

Prized Italian high-fashion designer names such as Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Giorgio Armani conjure notions of glamour and prestige in the fashion community. Home to many of the world's most revered and prominent fashion houses, Italy has long led the development and revolution of haute couture. Well-known for defining trends and setting couture standards, the decadent creations of Italian designers are most often the first to capture headlines in fashion trade publications and fashion week events worldwide.

Before the earliest ideas of couture designers were brought to life, fabrics and textiles were a key commodity of Italy. Known for expressive uses of colors and textures, fabric houses have created and produced exceptionally high-quality fabrics, captivating even the most talented of Italy's past and present designers. Of the estimated $278 billion in 2003 exports, textiles and clothing ranks second amongst all Italian export commodities.

The fashions of Italy's most admired couture designer's reach far beyond the bustle of Rome and the sprawling countryside of Tuscany. In days past, royalty, celebrities and the wealthy were often the only select group able to afford such elegant fashion. But thanks to modernization in textile houses and ease of import, Italian designers now adorn not just the rich and famous, but also the true fashion connoisseur.

Italian fashion houses are similar to major corporations and businesses. At the helm is a leader, inspiring and directing the vision of the business. Working for the leader are various employees with specifics talents and abilities making unique contributions to achieve the vision. This same working scenario exists in Italian fashion houses both past and present. A fashion house maybe named for its founder, or designated with a name or symbol special to the house founder. Although many of today's most well known Italian designers began working in fashion houses, prolonged loyalty is not always constant. Most designers will move from house to house, fusing their creative ideas and designs into a new, yet evolving fashion world.

One of the world's most notable Italian fashion houses, the House of Versace, began with a simple yet pure love deep within its founder's heart. As a young man, Gianni Versace began his fashion career working with his mother. From pattern buyer to dressmaker to designer, Versace was a quick study in these and many other areas. It was only about six years from starting as a paid ready-to-wear designer in Milan that he designed and launched his very own collection in the same city, bearing his now famous name. The House of Versace was born.

In early days, the modern fashion designs of Gianni and his team weren't quite enough to catapult the House of Versace to sudden worldwide fame. With the help of fashion photographers such as Richard Avedon, magazine and style-conscience celebrities like Elton John and Madonna, Versace and his network of designers began to more notably grace the world with haute couture. Versace made his mark on fashion by combining his passion for art and fashion alongside top supermodels on the world's runways. But it wasn't always with the help of seasoned publicists. Versace was the most active planner and participant in creating his lavish runway shows.

At what some consider the peak of his career, unexpected trouble found Versace and his design empire when was shot and killed outside of his Miami home in 1997. During his fashion and design career, Versace expanded the House and his talents to include worldwide boutiques, fragrances, costume tailor and author. The House of Versace was in turmoil until his sister, Donatella, took over as CEO. Unfortunately, her concepts and designs were received with considerably less excitement than those of her brother. While visions of taking the House of Versace public were at one time discussed, any plans were nixed when its founder met an untimely death.

For those thirsty to quench the world of fashion, it now takes more than a keen eye and fondness for all things beautiful to be adored by the fashion community. Italian fashion design schools now aggressively teach courses such as marketing and fashion management; skills not previously taught to Italy's fashion elite, but learned directly in the fashion houses. In today's competitive fashion world, you'll need considerably more than a design education to start and rule an Italian fashion empire equivalent to Versace, Prada or Armani.

By Melissa Tyson

 

[ballroombeliever]

Can anyone post pictures of his couture collections?

 

[SomethingElse]

^ As we find them! In the meanwhile...

El Mirage, 1990 * Photographer: Herb Ritts, American, 1952–2002

mfa.org

 

[Laska]

Amazing thread! I wish I could find more pictures of Versace collections from the late 80s to the early 90s!

 

[Laska]

zothike.com

I think this was taken at a Versace party with all the Supers wearing Versace gowns! So beautiful!

 

[m.j.]

collections,dresses, they come and go, but versace's done what no designer ever could... he created an era where glamour and beauty were the most important things. you may not like everything he has done, but he is one and only who did it, and the legend of a man who created all this stays forever.
hope he rests in peace.

 

[SomethingElse]

1992 Studded leather, given by the designer

vam.ac.uk