![]() ![]() She became artistic director after Gianni Versace’s death in 1997.ĭonatella brought a younger, harder edge to Versace which complemented Gianni’s classicism. Donatella joined the family company in the early 1980s and became responsible for accessories and ‘Versus’, the youth-orientated diffusion line. Her critical and artistic contribution to the Versace label cannot be overestimated. Acknowledging his allegiance to the performance arts he said, ‘For me the theatre is liberation.’ Donatellaĭonatella Versace has been described as Gianni Versace’s muse, and he referred to his sister as his ‘perfect woman’. Versace looked to the grand masters of fashion drama, Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga and Schiaparelli, for inspiration for his larger than life theatre costumes. The creations met stringent practical requirements and enhanced the dancer’s movements while offering a dynamic visual narrative. Some of Versace’s most notable works were designed for the choreographer Maurice Béjart. These in turn clearly influenced his fashion. Versace’s catwalk collections were invariably spectacular and theatrical, and he found commissions (the first in 1982) to create costumes for theatre and ballet irresistible. Theatre costume, Versace, 1987, black quilted satin and white satin with black and white applique He became the standard-bearer of gay men’s fashion because he eschewed decorum and designed for desire.’Ĭombining skilful tailoring with innovative materials, Versace produced clothing that could not be ignored. 'His menswear was genuinely revolutionary, insisting on men as sex objects. The late Richard Martin, of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, wrote: He added risqué factors such as bondage-like fastenings or seductive pleats to superbly crafted suits, created tantalisingly tactile leather garments, and dressed men and women in ebullient prints from head to toe. Versace was determined to enliven daywear. Stylistically accessible and instantly recognisable, Versace’s fearless designs came to epitomise the 1980s and 1990s. Versace’s couture designs were created for the super rich but his impact was felt across a wider section of society through diffusion lines. He combined exquisite dressmaking with a brazen defiance of the rules of fashion. Eclectic and profligate, he showered his clothes with references, forged unlikely alliances of materials and concepts. Versace’s immense drive and singular commitment to fashion resulted in significant achievements. ![]() In less than twenty years he had created an international company that put Italy on the fashion map and forged an unrivalled reputation for luxury and glamour.Įvening gown, Autumn-Winter 1997/98, Versace, gold-tone Oroton with applied beadwork He said, ‘I don’t believe in good taste.’Īt the time of his death in 1997, Gianni Versace was one of the most famous fashion designers in the world. Eclectic and impudent, Versace inspired both respect and outrage. His sensational advertising campaigns featured supermodels such as Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell. Versace’s style combined luxurious classicism with overt sexuality. Versace became internationally renowned for ultra-glamorous creations as well as spectacular theatrical costumes and innovative menswear design. His first independent collection was launched in Milan in 1978 and subsequently, aided by the talents of his brother Santo and sister Donatella, he forged the vastly successful Versace empire. ![]() Versace was born in Reggio Calabria in Southern Italy. Gianni Versace (1946–1997) is one of the most colourful and talented designers of the late 20th-century. Evening gown worn by Elizabeth Hurley, Spring-Summer 1994, Versace, black viscose and acetate with kilt pin embellishments ![]()
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