By the early 1990s, what had defined Gianni Versace’s meteoric rise began to feel dated. Spectacle becomes staid when it's expected — and the silk-strewn sex and decadence he dressed the 80s with was a relic of an old generation.

The tide had turned. Fellow oracles of excess like Brett Easton Ellis were lampooning the 80s, serving a death blow to the decade with his classic satire of it, "American Psycho," in 1992. And the designer whom its anti-hero Patrick Bateman most notably fixates upon? Gianni Versace.

The Italian maestro had become something to rebel against. In fact, it’s hard not to see the emergence of the anti-fashion designers who dominated the 90s — Margiela, Lang, Yamamoto — as a purposeful backlash against what Gianni had built.

His spring 1994 work felt, for once, like Gianni following the way the winds were blowing. It was still "Versace" to a V — gold accents, exposed skin, and a who’s who of the A list. Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Eve Salvail, Kate Moss — per usual he summoned superstars in spades in a way no designer has ever replicated. Yet the clothes themselves suggested he had eyes back overseas. Namely towards London.

The ultra-short schoolgirl dresses, slashed-out sweaters, and unfurled shirting beneath all conjured images of Vivienne Westwood, who was at the height of her powers. And that’s without mentioning the safety pins, a punk staple Gianni turned on their head by oversizing, and adding his own Medusa insignia. A symbol of decadence atop a symbol of punk — a perfect metaphor for the collection which brought Gianni as close to perfection as he'd ever reach.

This backpack utilizes the season’s signature safety pins, western buckles, (a callback to his 1992 “Cowboy Bondage” season) and fastens via magnetic closure hidden beneath the buckles. This specific piece can be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum, while other safety pin pieces make their home in museum’s across the world.

Condition: 9/10. No noticeable flaws.

Tagged size: One-size