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T H E B E S T O F T H I R D M I L L E N I U M

MO NOGRAPHY

10YEARS

VERSACE2001>2010R E A DY- TO - W E A R WO M E N C O L L E C T I O N S

If Gianni Versace was, as Oliviero Toscani

affirms, the champagne of Italian fashion,

a bubble of creativity in the explosive ye-

ars of Milanese ready to wear, his sister Do-

natella could be dubbed the mojito of the

2000s: bold, aphrodisiacal flavours, with

an alcoholic strength to make your head

spin. The first ten years of the new Millen-

nium see the affirmation of the youngest of

the Versace siblings at the creative helm of

the brand, having taken over such a prolific

yet burdensome legacy following her bro-

thers murder. The muse of Versace style sin-

ce its inception, Donatella grasps the reins

of the Medusa underlining the iconic traits

of her feminine style more and more each

year: blonde, sexy, sculpted in sinuous and

boldly coloured silhouettes. Her style insists on

bright colours, jungle prints, tight leather, po-

wer suits and fatal heels (both for men and

the models wearing them on the runway).

With Donatella the brands links with Hollywo-

od and the music scene just get stronger: from

Elton John to Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow

to Halle Berry, all the international stars flock

to the Versace atelier to choose what to wear

on the red carpet, and often attend Donatel-

las glamorous parties after the event. Its no

coincidence that the Versace women in 2000

walk the runway to Vicious by Lou Reed wea-

ring bad trenches over dangerous mini-dres-

ses, a little like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct.

Donatellas impact is strong and the whole

world is watching, so much so that a March

Se Gianni Versace stato, come afferma Oli-

viero Toscani, lo champagne della moda

italiana, tutto una bollicina di creativit negli

anni esplosivi del prt--porter milanese, sua

sorella Donatella potrebbe essere definita

il mojito degli anni 2000: sapori vitaminici,

afrodisiaci, con una grinta alcolica da far

girare la testa. I primi dieci anni del nuovo

Millennio vedono infatti laffermazione della

pi giovane di casa Versace alla guida cre-

ativa del marchio, portatrice suo malgrado,

dopo lassassinio del fratello, di una eredit

tanto feconda quanto pesante da sostenere.

Musa dichiarata dello stile Versace fin dagli

esordi, Donatella prende le redini della Me-

dusa sottolineando ogni anno di pi i tratti

iconici del suo modello femminile: biondo,

sexy, scolpito da silhouette sinuose e sgar-

gianti di colori shocking. Il suo lessico stilistico

insiste sulla tavolozza accesa, sulle stampe

jungle, sulle pelli fascianti, sul tailleur di po-

tere e sui tacchi fatali (per gli uomini e per

le modelle che li indossano in passerella).

Con Donatella inoltre si consolidano i rappor-

ti della maison con il mondo hollywoodiano

e musicale: da Elton John a Jennifer Lopez,

da Gwyneth Paltrow a Halle Berry, le star del

palcoscenico internazionale passano dalla-

telier Versace per decidere cosa indossare sul

red carpet e spesso dopo levento terminano

la serata ai glamour party di Donatella. Non

a caso le Versace women del 2000 sfilano

sulle note di Vicious di Lou Reed e indossano

trench cattivi su miniabiti pericolosi, un po

introduction

2001 list published in the Wall Street Journal

of Europes most influential women has her

in fourth place. Nothing if not confident,

she is not intimidated by the attacks on the

Twin Towers or the subsequent chastened

climate that affects all markets and mo-

ods: the creative director of the Medusa re-

mains steadfast and her collections beco-

me increasingly fetishist, with so many laces

and strings woven into plunging necklines.

In October 2002 the talent of Gianni Versace

returns to the spotlight thanks to a major re-

trospective at Londons Victoria & Albert Mu-

seum. This exhibition, comments his sister,

makes Giannis dream live on, it is both pain-

ful and beautiful. After revisiting her brothers

clothing, sparkling with gold and sequins, at

times applied to the geometry of a Greek

goddess, it is almost inevitable that a casca-

de of crystals and golden chains features in

Donatellas collections, on impalpable eve-

ning dresses and nappa leather jackets that

fit like a second skin. Yet little under a year la-

ter it emerges that the brand is making losses.

To redress the balance, Giancarlo Di Risio, a

manager with experience at Fendi and IT Hol-

ding, immediately implements sweeping cost-

cutting measures and sells some real estate.

Perhaps unaware of this new austerity, the

Versace woman remains a pink doll playing

at punk in aluminium stilettos: she is by now

an icon, a glamour touchstone that, season

after season, must sustain the eyes and ex-

pectations of the fashion and showbiz world.

This obsessive attention focuses on Donatel-

la and worsens her addiction to stimulating

substances, so much so that in the summer

of 2004 the designer is convinced by certain

close friends, including Elton John, to check

into a rehab clinic in Arizona. When she re-

turns, she is more ironic and clear-headed.

Backstage at her show she thanks those who

alla Sharon Stone di Basic Instinct. Limpat-

to del personaggio Donatella forte e tutto

il mondo le punta gli occhi addosso, tanto

che una classifica del marzo 2001 pubblica-

ta sul Wall Street Journal la posiziona al quar-

to posto tra le donne pi influenti dEuropa.

Sicura del suo verbo, non si lascia intimidire

dallattentato alle Torri Gemelle e dal clima

morigerato che si diffonde subito dopo su

tutti i mercati e gli umori mondiali: la direttri-

ce creativa della Medusa si mantiene salda

al timone e le sue collezioni si fanno sempre

pi fetish, con tanto di lacci e stringhe da in-

trecciare su scollature senza mezzi termini.

Nellottobre 2002 torna sotto i riflettori il talen-

to di Gianni Versace grazie alla grande retro-

spettiva che gli dedica il Victoria & Albert Mu-

seum di Londra. Questa mostra commenta

la sorella - fa rivivere tutto il sogno di Gianni,

insieme dolore e bellezza. Dopo aver rivisto

gli abiti del fratello, luccicanti di oro e paillet-

te, magari applicate sulle geometrie di una

greca, quasi inevitabile che una cascata di

cristalli e catene dorate si riversi sulle collezio-

ni di Donatella, su abiti da sera impalpabili

e giubbini di nappa traforata asciutti come

una seconda pelle. Ma poco meno di un

anno pi tardi emerge che i conti non qua-

drano perch le spese superano gli incassi.

A raddrizzare la situazione arriva Giancarlo

Di Risio, un manager con esperienze presso

Fendi e IT Holding che subito mette mano a

un piano industriale di riduzione dei costi e di

vendita di alcune propriet immobiliari. Forse

inconsapevole di questa nuova austerit, la

donna Versace resta una bambola rosa che

gioca con lo stile punk e non rinuncia allo sti-

letto in alluminio: ormai unicona, un punto

di riferimento del glamour che deve sostene-

re, stagione dopo stagione, lo sguardo e le

aspettative del fashion world e dello showbiz.

Unattenzione ossessiva che si riversa su Do

9

10

stood by her during her treatment and de-

dicates the show to Richard Avedon, who

had recently passed away. Two events mark

the first few months of 2005: firstly Giannis

art collection is auctioned, along with furni-

ture from the Milan house in Via Ges, and

secondly the new advertising campaign

shot by Mario Testino. Over 150 pieces inclu-

ding furniture, paintings and silverware once

again testify to the flair of the sadly missed

designer, his search for luxury and his enthu-

siasm for all manifestations of beauty and ar-

tistic creativity. Demi Moore is the testimonial

of Versace A/W 2005.06, designed for a wo-

man who is fully aware of her seductive po-

wer and dresses to make that very statement.

In September, while Milan is brought almost to

a standstill by the concentration of shows, the

Casa Casuarina in Miami, where Gianni Ver-

sace was killed in 1997, opens to the wealthy

public as a luxury hotel. Another monument in

the Medusa myth thus exits the collective ima-

gination. But the following February Donatella

reopens the boutique-palace on Fifth Avenue,

embraced by her VIP friends (J-Lo, Halle Berry,

Cindy Crawford, Rupert Everett, to name but

a few). Afterwards, a dinner with close friends

is held in an apartment in the One Beacon

Court Building overlooking Midtown, where

once again traffic gridlock ensues. Then, in

September 2006, the Versace Teatro opens in

Piazza Vetra, built in place of the Alcione cine-

ma after a 4 million Euro restructuring project.

It will be the backdrop for the brands fashion

shows, but also the ideal venue for cultu-

ral initiatives, exhibitions and other events.