Woman Finds $17 Dress At Thrift Store Worth Thousands Of Dollars

The name Versace is associated with some of the most expensive dresses in the world. Many are worth thousands of dollars, but one lucky thrift shopper ran across an original Versace for a paltry $17. Let’s take a look at how Sarah Dunk ran across the find of a lifetime.

A Normal Shopping Day Gets Crazy

Sarah was at her local thrift store when something attracted her attention. She was going through a rack of dresses and suddenly came across something that stunned her for a few minutes. She was looking directly at an original, albeit vintage, Gianni Versace dress.

She kept calm and waved her friend over to look at her find. The price tag was only $17.49 for a dress that was likely worth thousands. Whoever left the dress on the shelves did Sarah a huge favor, and she picked the dress up for the offer price.

The Designer For The Stars

Most people know the brand Versace, but few realize it was founded by one of the most prolific (and expensive) Italian fashion designers in the twentieth century. Versace was friends with many celebrities and was the go-to guy for high fashion in certain circles.

The fashion brand that bears his name today is one of the names in luxury that still commands a massive price tag. Sadly, Versace was killed in 1997, meaning that his designs are even more expensive now since there are no more coming from the hand of the master himself.

A “Stunning” Find In a Unique Place

In the video Sarah uploaded to her followers on TikTok, she exclaims “stunning” and “perfect” as she holds the dress up to the camera and sees if it can fit her. At the end of the upload, she urged everyone to “stay tuned,” suggesting she would model the dress after she bought it.

The original clip garnered massive success, with over 14 million people seeing her thrift find. Sarah’s total follower list is far smaller, although she does have quite a lot compared to other creators. Still, 41,000 followers are many people to see you make a once-in-a-lifetime find.

Initially, a Different Video Was Planned

Sarah never expected to stumble upon something so stunning in her thrifting adventure. She admitted that she had another video planned when she entered the store until she ran across the dress hiding in one of the used clothing aisles.

When she noticed the dress, the adrenaline immediately kicked in, and she knew it would be something she should share with her followers. She admits that a find like this is a dream come true for her since she had been hoping for something along these lines ever since she started thrifting.

The Comments Go Wild

The initial comments on the post were limited, but the video quickly got traction on TikTok from people who were floored by Sarah’s good luck. “I am shocked someone just donated a vintage Gianni Versace piece,” a commenter stated in surprise.

“My jaw dropped. That’s not just Versace it’s VINTAGE Versace. Best find ever!!” another person posted to the comment section under the video. This set off a frenzy of activity to locate the type of dress Sarah had found and potentially get a price for it.

An Immaculate Evening Dress

The dress had a lot of followers on the video scouring the internet for clues. One user insisted they had found a match for the stunning piece. The commenter suggested it was a ‘Gianni Versace S/S 1992 Bustier Lace Bra Sheer Panels Slit Evening Dress Gown.’

Prices for pieces like these are based on demand, but owning a piece of history designed by Gianni Versace himself is worth a lot to many people. EBay notes that a similar dress went up for auction with a price tag of $9,800, making this thrift find worth its weight in gold.

Sarah Confirms the Dress Type

In a follow-up post about the dress, Sarah confirmed that she had tracked down the dress type, and while it didn’t exactly fit the most popular suggestion in the comments, it was close. She assumed it was from the same S/S collection from 1992, although possibly not the same dress.

In the second video, she thanked everyone for helping her track down the dress so she could appreciate what she found. She then shared a video of herself wearing the dress soon afterward, with the comment that it fits remarkably well.

A Special-Occasions Dress After Showing It Off

Sarah posted a further video showing some details of the dress while wearing it. The details she highlighted included the hem, label, and backing. Detailed views also showed off how different the dress’s straps were compared to the original version.

When she finished highlighting her find, she noted that it was going back into storage for the foreseeable future. Most people would never be able to afford an original Versace piece, much less one made by the master craftsman himself or a vintage one from a well-known collection.

Doing More Research

Sarah noted that she contacted a few people to find out the actual cost of the dress, with some vintage couture specialists suggesting somewhere close to $10,000 for the piece. If that’s the case, her $17-find could potentially sell for almost six hundred times what she paid for it.

Regardless, the dress may have been altered since the straps differ from the original ones in the line. Whether this would impact the final price of the find or not is questionable. If Versace himself adjusted the straps, the dress might be worth even more as a unique item.

Planning on Keeping It

When asked about whether she would ever sell the dress, Sarah was adamant about holding onto it. She said that one of her biggest goals in thrifting was to own a couture gown, which she was waiting for. She would hold onto it as the high point of her thrifting career.

The only difference would be if Donatella Versace called her directly and asked her for it. However, Donatella is probably too busy to worry about a dress from 1992, so for now, Sarah’s keeping her most expensive find. What would you do if you found a dress like this in a thrift store?