Happy New Year! Out with the New, In with the Vintage!

Wishing  a very Happy New Year to all of our RARE vintage blog readers and clients!!

As I lie here in bed...

and look at my plumed finials...

and ponder my carved and gilded cornucopia...

I think, more really is more!  Enough with Phoebe Philo for Celine minimalism!  Let them eat cake from Sweet Lady Jane!  (which is a New Year's resolution:  I will NOT eat the Triple Berry Shortcake every time I come to Los Angeles!  I swear I will not!  Okay, I swear to try... at least every other visit...)

So for the antithesis of minimalism we have the Emperor of Opulence, Gianni Versace!  

How did Gianni take a lacquer colored metal mesh oroton tunic and make it more?  He added an ornate, sparkling vision of the name VERSACE across the front.  Because more really is more.  Excuse me while I go have just one more bite of cake...  

Now if you have legs like Tina Turner or Beyoncé you can wear it just like this:

Otherwise a skinny jean is the way to go.

1980s Gianni Versace metal mesh 'VERSACE" tunic.  Will fit a size 4/6/8

FYI: I am sad to say the Lit a la Polonaise is not mine but is in the Getty museum.  How many more days until next Christmas??  Is it too early to start my list right now... what do you think...

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Baby Blue: GIANNI VERSACE

A beautiful shade of pale blue was one of Gianni Versace's favorite colors.  He was a great colorist and, a little like Halston, some of the histrionics around Versace have to a certain degree eclipsed the talent and artistry of the designer.  He had his oeuvre which is something many, many designers never achieve.  They may have a moment but do they have a vision?  Do they having staying power?  Do they have more then one or two collections in them?  Gianni Versace showed a metal mesh dress in every collection after 1982. 

So what did Gianni do with a somewhat aggressive material like metal mesh Oroton?  He made it in an Easter egg shade of baby blue and overlaid it with a fine delicate lace.  

 Early 1990s Gianni Versace pale blue with lace overlay metal mesh Oroton Dress. Size 4/6

 Price available upon request.

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Heavy Metal: GIANNI VERSACE

We're not talkin' about AC/DC, Twisted Sister or Metallica.  We're talkin' about a gloriously heavy but looks as light as a feather gold tone metal mesh Gianni Versace shirt style wrap dress.  "Yo, Mr. Versace, Dude!  This dress is AWESOME!" is what our erudite head banger friends would say about it.

I was torn between a reference to heavy metal and Rod Stewart's lycra clad derriere in his "if you want my body, if you think I'm sexy" days for the title of this post because this is a dress for a woman certain of her sexuality.  Certain of ability to beguile.  Certain of wanting to wear the best dress that no one else will have. 

There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes and that Gianni Versace knew how to make a woman look and feel more then fabulous.  He made her feel and look like a Goddess. 

Here is a group of similarly gold metal mesh clad Supermodels:

The dresses are going fast so don't miss out!

Circa 1990 Gianni Versace metal mesh gold tone Oroton dress.  Size 4/6. 

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Limelight!

There are moments when the LBD does not cut it.  There are moments when you don't want to blend in, you want to standout.  There are moments when you want to rebel against the classic and the proper.  There are moments when instead of a string of pearls you want to adorn yourself with a string of buttons featuring the snake-entwined head of Medusa.  There are moments when only the most glamorous, the most sexy, the most amazing lime colored dress is just what you are looking for.  There are also moments when buying vintage you want not only a great wearable piece but also an important collector's piece.  This is that moment...

Lime green Gianni Versace metal mesh dress with interior bodysuit and iconic Medusa head buttons.
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It all started one day in 1982...

Gianni Versace created Woman as warrior.  Woman as Goddess.  Woman as Siren.  He dressed her in a cloth of gold spun as if by magic from a liquid metal.  

1982 Gianni Versace metal mesh 'Oroton' dress from the first collection using the patented material Oroton.

 

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An Important Collection of Gianni Versace Metal Mesh Oroton Pieces

I am very focused on the unique and the special with the pieces I buy for RARE vintage.  I rarely buy from auction for the store because I prefer to find the things that people can not find themselves and I like the history of each piece.  I also like to have pieces that are hard to find and rarely available.

Every designer has something they do uniquely and spectacularly well.  Well, this is not exactly true as there are very few designers who actually have a unique vision.  We all know the greats: Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Madeleine Vionnet, Madame Gres, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen - there are others but the number of designers who will change our vision of how we dress, what we buy, what we covet and leave a mark on the history of fashion is limited to a very small elite group. 

Gianni Versace is one of the elite few.  He made bad taste, good taste.  He celebrated rock and roll, flashiness and the nouveaux riches.  He was also a giant of creative talent and the world is a sadder place without him.  

Versace showed his first patented material 'Oroton' metal mesh dress in 1982 and every season after that. He wanted a material that would be like the armor of a medieval warrior but to drape as a fluidly and softly as a Madame Gres gown. 

I will be adding detailed photos and descriptions of the dresses over the next few days.  In addition to the metal mesh dresses we have a collection of chiffon gowns and accessories.  Please feel free to email or call the store with any questions.

 

 

  

 

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Sneak Peek! A Collection of Gianni Versace Metal Mesh Dresses!

More, more, more!  

How do you like it, how do you like it

More, more, more

More, more, more

by Andrea True

more to come....

 1982 Gianni Versace metal mesh Oroton dress

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...