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TikToker Sarah Dunk said she found a vintage Versace dress while filming a thrift store video.
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The upload went mega-viral and received over 14.6 million views and 1,800 comments.
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Viewers helped Dunk discover the specific name and potential value of the dress.
A TokToker captured the moment she discovered a vintage Versace dress in a thrift store and went mega-viral as viewers rushed to try to help her identify the model.
On March 5, 28-year-old TikToker Sarah Dunk from Toronto, Canada shared a video with the caption, “I’m speechless.” At the start of the 31-second clip, she can be seen standing next to a rack of clothes in what appears to be a thrift store as she turns to the camera, gestures to a garment behind her and says: “I don’t want to be dramatic, but that’s where you’re going to freak out.”
The upload then zoomed in on an item before Dunk picked it up and brought it closer to the camera, moving the tag, which had a visible price tag of $17.49 Canadian, or $12.72, to reveal a Gianni Versace tag.
In the clip, which has received more than 14.6 million views, Dunk could be heard describing the item, which she said she found at thrift store chain Value Village, as “stunning” and “perfect” and placed the coat hanger over her head to see if the dress would potentially fit her. “Stay tuned, everyone,” she said at the end of the upload.
Dunk, who has over 41,800 followers on TikTok, frequently posts thrifty videos that include trying on items in the store, modifying pieces she bought, and sharing her thrifty purchases.
She told Insider she was shooting a different video when she spotted the dress. “I checked the label and when I saw what it was, the adrenaline immediately went up! That was the moment I clicked record on my phone,” she said in an email exchange.
Dunk added that she was “stunned” by the find and knew she was “extremely lucky” as she had been “dreaming of a second-hand find like this” since she started visiting thrift stores in 2014.
Over 1,800 comments were left on the video as viewers shared their reactions to the find. “Shocked that someone just donated a vintage Gianni Versace piece,” read one comment, which received more than 46,100 likes. “My jaw dropped. It’s not just Versace, it’s VINTAGE Versace. Best find ever!” read another comment, which received 41,200 likes.
One viewer suggested they had tracked down the particular model of the dress, leaving a comment that read “Gianni Versace S/S 1992 Bustier Lace Bra Sheer Panels Slit Evening Dress Gown,” which was liked over 3,300 times.
In a follow-up video posted on March 6, Dunk responded to a comment along with an on-screen caption that read, “Versace dress update!” In the upload, which has received 3.1 million views, she confirmed that she bought the dress and said , that she’s “so grateful” to those who helped her find the pattern, as she’s been “digging around the internet” and can’t seem to find it herself. Dunk also shared an image of herself trying on the dress as soon as she got back home and said: “It’s fitting, damn good.”
“TikTok confirmed my findings and although the straps on mine are slightly different, it looks like the dress is probably from the S/S 1992 collection,” Dunk told Insider.
On March 8, Dunk shared another TikTok with a graphic on the screen that read “dress reveal” and showed a closer look at the item while she was wearing it, which included photos of the tag, hem, and lining. In the caption of the video, which has received over 105,000 views, she wrote: “and just like that the dress went back into the vault aka my closet.”
Dunk told Insider he didn’t know the exact value of the dress, but referenced a similar item currently listed on marketplace website 1stDibs for 8,454.78 Canadian pounds, or $10,012, and said has contacted “some vintage fashion curators” for more information on the exact model and whether the straps have been replaced. “Regardless of the occasion, I’m really so happy I found this dress for under $20,” she said.
Whatever the value, she said she has no intention of selling it. “One of my biggest thrift goals was to save on a fashion dress,” she told Insider. “I never imagined I’d find a dress like this at a thrift store, and finds like this are rare, so I plan to keep it!”
Dunk added that she would only give the item if Donatella Versace called her directly and said she wanted it.
“Until then, I’m going to keep trying it on and playing with it around the house very, very carefully,” she said.
For more stories like this, check out reporting from the Digital Culture Insider team here.
Read the original Insider article