October 17, 2022 |
Throughout pop culture history you will find Versace sprinkled in places that have little to do with fashion, whether that’s a campy cameo in Shrek 2 (“Versachery”) or Maya Rudolph’s incredibly charming impression of the queen herself, Donatella, on SNL. Everywhere you look it’s there: like a steamy, gaudy hug.
Wearing a piece of Versace clothing feels like space exploration. Everything appears too good to be true and the confidence you feel is otherworldly. It seems crazy that just one piece of clothing can make you feel this way but Versace – for me – has always had that electric feeling woven within its seams.
My first piece of Versace was a pair of vintage sunglasses I somehow snagged off eBay. As a novice in vintage fashion I had no idea if they were real or not, but it almost didn’t matter. They resembled a pair that Gianni always wore and, weirdly, made me feel closer to him. For some, that might seem over the top, but I felt transformed when I put those lenses on. The confidence was radiating off me; it felt like I was a part of something big.
For fashion lovers, Versace may be one of the first tastes of luxury you become involved with. When I was young, Tumblr was littered with 1990s pictures of Gianni’s creations being modelled by the greats: Naomi, Kate, Helena, Cindy, Shalom and Karen. If I could move heaven and Earth, I would love to own pieces from the AW 1992 show. I wish I could commission someone to create a time machine just to witness that catwalk.It was revolutionary for its time in fashion, bringing the then-taboo iconography of BDSM (buckles, straps, leather and harnesses) into the mainstream, with a dose of Versace glitz. The bondage-inspired dress from the collection, which Donatella wore while accompanying Gianni to the Met Ball that year, is one of the first core memories I have of her. It catapulted the creator’s sister to fashion legend status. I saw her as someone willing to take risks to turn a look. And do we need to even get started on the legendary status of Donatella’s platinum blonde hairstyle? You could spot her from the International Space Station. She is the elixir that holds Versace together.
The Donatella factor reverberates across popular culture. She is an integral part of Versace sustaining its success in 2022. We’ve seen fashion houses of the same era having to rebuild in the face of an increasingly digital market, but Donatella attending red carpets with VIP clients, appealing to Gen Z audiences through hilarious TikTok cameos and even making an appearance on stage at the Grammy Awards has won over anew generation of fans.
The likes of Lil Nas X and Doja Cat have adopted the brand as their go-to uniform for showing up and showing out, while the innovative, lightweight chainmail dresses (made with Oroton metal fabric, invented by Gianni in 1982) are a staple today for pop stars like Dua Lipa, who tours the world wearing slinky Versace frocks. It has become a badge of honour to walk a red carpet in a custom chainmail look.
But it’s not just the clothes that are on fire. Versace’s accessories have become an obsession for my generation. I still can’t get “My first piece of Versace was a pair of vintage sunglasses I somehow snagged off eBay.I had no idea if they were real or not, but it almost didn’t matter. They resembled a pair that Gianni always wore and, weirdly, made me feel closer to him”over Nicola Peltz-Beckham surprising everyone by ditching traditional bridal shoes and wearing an ivory pair of Medusa Aevitas platform pumps for her wedding. Those towering platforms-on-steroids, irresistibly cartoonish and extreme, are easily my shoe of the season (I have a pair of yellow Aevitason my wish list if my husband is ever feeling generous for my birthday!).
We can also get very excited about the new Greca Goddessbag range. It debuted on the Autumn 2022 catwalk, and as it stormed down the runway in several iterations, it was clear that the bags encapsulated the very essence of Versace. First, the lines are strong and sensual, blending precise angles with alluring curves; second, it’s unmistakably blinging. Building on the brand’s marriage of myth and luxury, this new addition to the Versace accessories family is notable for its gold hardware, nodding to the brand’s Greca insignia, which borders theMedusa head emblem.
Amid fashion’s constant state of flux, where trends dip in and out as quickly as you can refresh your TikTok feed, Donatella and her team have successfully navigated the new market by diversifying Versace’s approach to product. There’s a Greca Goddess for everyone, with each different bag iteration sharing distinct codes that position them as one glamorous unit. These are Versace bags for the 21st century, trusty accomplices you can rely on with plenty of visual pizazz. There’s the Greca cross-body, which comes in two sizes with twinning hardware and gold accents. They are joined by a horizontal clutch variation, with a hand-slip proving both sophisticated and practicality. A range of handy small accessories, including a chain wallet, small clutch bags and card cases, complete the line-up.
And because this is a Versace bag, you can forget about play-it-safe colourways. The Greca Goddess comes in a devilish palette of cherry red, slate grey, black and aquarium gravel blue. The bags embody Donatella’s triumph, as she spearheads fashion’s changing face one viral Versace drop at a time.
“Greek goddesses have always been part of Versace’s DNA and the Greca Goddess captures their clash of cultures and emotion,” she says. “Classical with a subversive sense of rebellion, the cold metal Greca dressed in warm gold. These juxtapositions create something new. When I touch the strong, cold metal of the Greca it makes me feel my strength and confidence.”
After every Versace collection I feel moved and rarely ever disappointed, which is a tall order. Donatella has done an astounding job of keeping the house of Versace not just afloat but rising through the stratosphere for the next generation to embrace. As a fashion nerd and Versace geek, I want to give Donatella her flowers ten times over and thank her for being resilient in her efforts to give us all the moments.
Photography by Ronni Campana, Fashion Editor Sophia Neophitou. Taken from Issue 69 of 10 Magazine – PEACE, COURAGE, FREEDOM – out now. Purchase here.
