Versace’s New Era: Aโ Sensual, Yet Subtly Restrained Debut Under Vitale
By julia Evans, World-Today-News.com
The โhouse of Versace entered a newโ chapterโ thisโ weekend,with it’s โdebut collection under new creative โขdirector,Daniele Vitale. The show, heldโค within a reimagined โmuseumโ space evoking โฃthe aftermath of a lavish, decadent party – โคthinkโ disheveledโ beds and makeup-stained vanities – signaled โa shift, though not a complete departure, โฃfrom โคthe brand’s famously overt sensuality.
The influence of Gianniโข Versace, the label’s founder and a master of โbold, โฃunapologetic design, was palpable. Even before the โคshow began, attendees like โstylist Lawโข Roachโ were โsubtly showcasing the legacy, sporting โvintage Versace pieces – in Roach’s case, an ’80s leatherโ bomber. “Everyone is wearing one piece of Gianni,” he quipped, pointing out a โฃplayful detail:โ a studded leather cord cinchingโค his โขjeans, a nod to a โ’90s Versace design that actually utilized repurposed cock rings as belt closures. (Yes, really.)
While Vitale’s collectionโค didn’t immediately plunge into theโข overtly sexual territory for which Versace is known, it โขcertainly wasn’t devoid of โฃallure. Comparedโค to the brand’s “va-va-voom” past, the collection offered a more nuanced approach. Narrow โคmuscle tanks,โ tailored shorts, and strategicallyโ undone denim were present, but the emphasis โfelt less about explicit exposure andโค more about suggestion. A notably striking element was the unexpected pairing of black leather trousers with brown leather shoesโ – a deliberately “sleazy ’80s throwback,” โฃasโ Vitale describedโฃ it, and a distinctly Italian touch.
The casting, expertly handled by Julia Lange, deserves significant praise. The runway sawโค the debut of rising stars โฃTalia โคRyder and โAva Capri, a refreshing addition to โa houseโ historically associated with supermodels likeโ Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington.
Vitale,still โsporting Miu Miu post-show,presented himself as a thoughtfulโค and romantic designer.He spoke of a “tormented passion” forโฃ Caravaggio โคand envisioned his models as “gods and goddesses havingโ an affair with mortals.” He even brought his own bedsheets to โขcreate a personal corner within the show space, a gesture highlighting his โฃdesire to infuse the established Versace narrative with his own โขunique sensibility.
While some tailoring leaned towards the exaggerated โpower