The Name Dropper

I am going to be a total name dropper.  These are the names that I will drop into your holiday weekend to tantalize you with.   And while you are eating your lobsters or burgers on the beach, you can be thinking about just what might be attached to those names...

Happy Fourth of July everyone!  RARE vintage will be back on Tuesday the 6th!

Christian Dior haute couture, Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace couture, Atelier Gianni Versace,  (okay so here I will drop a word, Oroton - if you don't know what it means, look it up and then you will know what I mean and just how good that word means!!  What is the plural of Oroton?   Orotons?   Hmmm...) Gianfranco Ferre, Valentino haute couture and Chanel...

Ice Ice Baby

Donatella Versace has always been by the side of her brother, Gianni Versace, and when she took over designing after Versace's death there were concerns whether the house could survive. There may have been a few bumps here and there but Donatella has come into her own without leaving behind the house's identity.

This shimmering ice-platinum silk satin dress from the Fall 2001 Gianni Versace couture collection is part 1930s movie star glamour and part Versace siren. It is also an early indication of the direction that Donatella would take. Relaxing the big bling to a beautifully cut simplified vision of the sexy, curve hugging dresses. The shoulders are strong, though in a quiet way. The satin runs over the body and turns to show a bare back. There is a wonderful detail in the small twist knot at the top of the back of the gown. The dress puddles out to a small train in the back.

The dress is sold with the original belt so you can choose between two looks. The belt makes the dress feel a little more casual. We prefer the more the glamorous dreamy look without the belt. It is the perfect red carpet dress for, hmmm, let us think, red carpet, what big event is coming up...

Fall 2001 ice-platinum silk Gianni Versace couture gown. Size 6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

A Midsummer Nights Dream

We were inspired by our last post of the Dior gown to name this A Midsummer's Nights Dream. There is something very ethereal and poetic about this 1990s Gianni Versace Couture gown.

If William Shakespeare's fairies were to choose a dress to wear in the moonlit forest, we have no doubt that they would want to wear this beautiful gown. In a pale blush hammered silk with organza and chiffon petals it is 1930s Hollywood glamorous with a sensitive side. The chiffon petals that flow from one shoulder and make a train are embroidered with the palest blush colored crystals. The art of haute couture is the ideal expression of idea and design. We definitely think that the inspiration for this dress is woman as Goddess. A thought any girl can relate too!

1990s Gianni Versace Couture hammered silk bias cut evening gown with organza and chiffon petals. Size 4/6. Deadstock.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

RARE vintage Goes To Dallas

We are pleased to have been invited to hold a special trunk show in Dallas so we have packed our couture and are bringing a bit of New York RARE vintage to Texas.

We will not be posting any new pieces for the next dew days but will leave you with this special couture dress from Gianni Versace. The sweetness of the color of the dress is countered by a bit of tough gold hardware, a graphic sixties mini silhouette and sexy peek-a-boo cutouts all around the waist. Gianni Versace was a great admirer of Madame Gres who also exposed different areas of the body in her work. You can take a look at our post titled ‘Gres is the black’ on February 1st 2008 for a very beautiful banded crepe dress with cutouts running down the side of the body by Madame Gres.

This is a true collectors piece from a great period by Versace. It will make you feel good to know that it is hanging in your closet and make you feel even better, even prettier and even sexier when you when wear it. That is what Gianni did for us girls and still does we might add!

Early 1990s Gianni Versace Couture dress with gold Medusa medallions and peek-a-boo cutouts. Size 4.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

The Warrior Princess

We started this week at RARE vintage by posting museum quality pieces from Madame Gres and we are ending the week with fetish pieces from Thierry Mugler and Gianni Versace. Very glamorous fetish.

This 1980s Gianni Versace couture dress in an unusual mustard color combines all of the classic Versace signatures: lace, leather, bondage and sexiness. It is for a woman who embraces her strength, her femininity and her sex appeal. Can be worn with or without original belt.
Size 38 (US 4/6)

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273