- TikToker Sarah Dunk said she found a vintage Versace dress while filming a thrift store video.
- The upload went mega-viral and received over 14.6 million views and 1,800 comments.
A TokToker captured the moment she discovered a vintage Versace dress in a thrift store, going mega-viral as viewers swooped in to try and help her identify the model.
On March 5, 28-year-old TikToker Sarah Dunk from Toronto, Canada, shared a video with the caption, "I have no words." At the beginning of the 31-second clip, she could be seen standing beside a clothes rack at what appeared to be a thrift store as she addressed the camera, gestured to an item of clothing behind her, and said, "Don't wanna be dramatic, but, that over there, you're gonna freak out."
@dunk.sarah I have no words
♬ original sound - Sarah dunk
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 of $17.49 Canadian, or $12.72, to reveal a Gianni Versace label.
In the clip, which received over 14.6 million views, Dunk could be heard describing the item, which she said she discovered in the thrift store chain Value Village, as "stunning" and "perfect" and placed the hanger over her head to see if the dress would potentially fit her. "Stay tuned, everybody," she said at the end of the upload.
Dunk, who has over 41,800 followers on TikTok, frequently posts thrifting videos, which include trying items on in the store, modifying pieces she has purchased, and sharing her thrifting hauls.
She told Insider she was filming a different video when she spotted the dress. "I checked the tag and when I saw what it was, the adrenaline immediately kicked in! That was the moment I clicked record on my phone," she said in an email exchange.
Dunk added she was "stunned" by the discovery, and knew she was "extremely lucky" as she had "been dreaming of a thrift-find like this" ever 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. "I am shocked someone just donated a vintage Gianni Versace piece," read one comment which received over 46,100 likes. "My jaw dropped. That's not just Versace it's VINTAGE Versace. Best find ever!!" read another comment which received 41,200 likes.
One viewer suggested they'd tracked down the specific 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 alongside an on-screen caption that read, "Versace dress update!" In the upload, which received 3.1 million views, she confirmed she bought the dress and said she was "so grateful" to those that helped her track down the model as she had been "scouring the internet" and couldn't seem to find it herself. Dunk also shared an image of her trying the dress on immediately after she had returned home and said, "it fits, like, pretty darn well."
"TikTok did confirm my findings, and although the straps on mine are slightly different, it seems that the dress is likely from the S/S 1992 collection," Dunk told Insider.
On March 8, Dunk shared a further TikTok, with an on-screen graphic that read "dress reveal" and showed a more detailed look at the item as she wore it, which included shots of the label, hem, and backing. In the caption of the video, which received over 105,000 views, she wrote, "and just like that the dress is back in the vault aka my closet."
@dunk.sarah And just like that the dress is back in the vault aka my closet
♬ original sound - Sonya Akulshina
Dunk told Insider she didn't know the exact worth of the dress but referenced a similar item that is currently listed on the marketplace website 1stDibs with a price tag of £8,454.78 Canadian, or $10,012, and said she contacted "some vintage couture curators" for more information on the exact model and whether the straps had been altered. "No matter the case, I am truly so happy to have found this dress for under $20," she said.
Whatever the value, she said she has no plans to sell it. "One of my ultimate thrift goals was to thrift a couture gown," she told Insider. "I could have never imagined that I would find a dress like this at the thrift store and finds like this rarely happen, so I plan on keeping it!"
Dunk added she would only give the item up if Donatella Versace called her directly and said she wanted it.
"Until then, I will continue to try it on and frolic in it around the house very, very carefully," she said.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.