Mini dress

item details

NameMini dress

ProductionGianni Versace; fashion designer; 1989; Milan

Classificationdresses

Materialssilk, glass, metal

Materials SummarySilk with embroidered panels on silk net using metal and glass beads

DimensionsOverall: 430mm (width), 665mm (height), 0mm (depth)

Registration NumberGH013641

Credit lineGift of Gianni Versace S.p.A., Italy, 2001

Overview

This densely-beaded mini dress was one of Gianni Versace’s early designs for his first haute couture line called ‘Versace Atelier’, launched in 1989. This high-fashion, custom-made, hand-beaded garment gleams richly under the light.

The opulent beading pays tribute to the French embroidery ateliers which thrived at the end of the nineteenth century. Ateliers were pools of highly skilled embroiderers who were commissioned by designers to decorate and trim fabrics. These French embroiderers pushed their craft to new heights, often covering every inch of their fabrics with decoration.

It was given to Te Papa by siblings Dr Santo Versace (President of Gianni Versace SpA) and Ms Donatella Versace in thanks to Te Papa for its hugely successful Versace exhibition in 2001.