A collection of fashion pieces celebrates the opulent lifestyle of Gianni Versace
The name Gianni Versace has long been associated with glamour, his namesake label well-known in the fashion world for its bright colors, bold patterns and over-the-top opulence.
Two decades after the fashion designer was killed at his Miami Beach, Fla., home, Farfetch and London’s vintage mecca William Vintage have teamed up by amassing a vast collection of pieces from the house, which are being sold at the William Vintage store, on williamvintage.com and on Farfetch.com.
For the record:
8:10 a.m. Oct. 20, 2017A previous version of this story misspelled the name of William Vintage’s founder. He is William Banks-Blaney, not William Blanks-Blaney.
“We wanted to mark the 20th anniversary with 20 years of his work,” says William Banks-Blaney, founder of William Vintage.
The collection is said to be the largest ever assembled, consisting of 500 pieces from the late 1970s through 1997, the year of the designer’s final collection and his death.
“We focused on pieces which are uniquely and unmistakably Gianni,” says Candice Fragis, Farfetch’s buying and merchandising director. “There are a number of very rare and high-value pieces within the collection — the 1992 Harness dresses from the Bondage Collection and Gianni’s spectacular Oroton metal pieces amongst the more expensive and important.”
Ranging in price from $300 to $60,000, the collection covers all facets of Versace’s iconic designs and has been gathered over the years thanks to stylists, models and private collectors. “There are so many superb discoveries within the collection,” Banks-Blaney says. “My personal favorites are the iconic silk shirts and the fabled Harness dresses from 1992.”
To celebrate the collection, Farfetch and William Vintage threw a party at a private home in Beverly Hills earlier this month, hosted by Banks-Blaney and stylist Elizabeth Stewart.
In homage to Versace’s decadent approach to life, there was a pool, extensive gardens and installations of some of the exceptional vintage pieces as well as Speedo-clad male models lounging poolside.
“The party was a real celebration of not just the collaboration and launch but of Gianni himself,” Banks-Blaney says. “We wanted to honor his designs and his approach to life, and L.A. seemed the perfect location in every way.”
The soiree drew A-listers, fashion-world heavyweights and vintage addicts, including Amal Clooney, Rachel Zoe, Kate Bosworth and “It” girl Caroline Vreeland.
“Gianni was always about pure, unadulterated joy, and there was so much romance and happiness within his work,” Banks-Blaney says. “That’s something that has never been as relevant as right now. His use of color, embellishment and his widely diverse inspirations shaped nearly every designer.”
Fragis agrees, saying although 20 years have passed, Versace’s relevance has never waned. “[Versace] celebrated fashion, form and fit, and that still resonates today,” she says. “It’s important for us to celebrate the man who was instrumental in the history of fashion.”
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