Things We Loved About Versace's SS18 Show!

“This is a celebration of my brother. Imagine a world without his risk-taking, his innovative genius and above all, his allegiance to women...Gianni, this is for you,” said an electronic, spoken-word soundtrack featuring a declaration of love, Donatella Versace had written for her brother. 

Twenty years ago, when Andrew Cunanan shot Gianni Versace in front of his Miami Beach mansion—at a time when corporate powers were violently taking over creativity—the event marked the end of an era and the opening of even more blatantly commerce-driven, utterly uninspired and non-inspiring times.

Gianni knew that beauty and vulgarity were chic bedfellows. His clothes, as dressy as they might have seemed, were grounded in his understanding of the women in his immediate world. They liked to dress; he liked to dress them – something his sister prizes greatly in his aesthetic legacy, along with his daring ability. So the SS18 collection that she showcased for the brand in an unadorned room inside Milan’s Triennale Museum was an ode to her brother’s style and fine craftsmanship, on which he rose to fame. She wanted the focus to be on his life, and not his violent end, but also his feminist leanings and the eternal relevance of his designs.

Image Courtesy: IMAXTREE

The designer used prints from her brother’s collections between 1991 and 1995 as the basis for this collection. They came in the form of leopard (from the Animaliercollection of 1992), Greek Keys (from the Baroque collection of 1991) and Marilyn Monroe screen-prints (from the 1991 Andy Warhol show). She remade and reinterpreted the blouses, square-shouldered jackets, embroidered pantsuits, logo tees, fanny packs and jewel-encrusted leather boots. There were crystallised Vogue covers on body skimming catsuits, Rococo printed silks in flippy pleated skirts, and a denim shirt with a huge balloon of silk – as if a thousand fashion editorials had come to life. Sleek blush pink dresses followed suit, studded with rivets or black velvet numbers with ruched bodices and Baroque-style gold-embroidered shoulders.

Image Courtesy: VERSACE

Feminism and fashion do not always fit well together, but by adding a sense of freedom to the package, the aesthetic of the 21^st Century did make sense. And to further add a sprinkle of poignancy, Naomi Campbell made an appearance in a gold chain mail gown, flanked for the finale by Carla Bruni, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen, to the chorus of George Michael’s Freedom! '90.

Image Courtesy: VERSACE

This Versace collection did represent Gianni’s range – from biker babe to power woman sophisticate. And yes, he also loved a high-waisted jean or a black asymmetric column dress, slit super high to the thigh – Donatella took good look enough to launch a retail revival.

As for the look, the mood, the bravado, they transported beautifully to today. And in a mostly quiet season, they delivered a key message. “Gianni,” Donatella said in an interview with The Business of Fashion, “had the courage to dare.”