Versace

Oroton metal mesh, 1982 This is the fabric that made Versace look like no one else. Gianni developed Oroton, a super-light chain mail, in 1982, and its tiny metal links drape over the body with the slither of silk. Usually in gold or silver, it turned evening dresses into liquid light under a spotlight, and he kept returning to it for the rest of his career, right up to the crosses of his final couture show in 1997. The mesh dress pictured is an early example, from Spring/Summer 1983. If you want one material that sums up Versace glamour, start here.