It’s no secret that Versace is one of my favorite fashion houses of all time. Its one of those brands you either love or hate—something I admire in anything or anyone. To be able to gauge such polar and passionate a reaction is to execute something with conviction and steadfast loyalty to one perspective: yours. Without that there is no love, and without love hate cannot exist. All that is left is indifference. Grey. Waffling. Blah.
(Speaking of: waffles sound delicious right about now.)
It’s also no secret that I have a predilection for society’s perception of hot. What is sexy? What is femininity? Is it possible to be a feminist even with such ideals? The short answer: yes. To get there, however, is neither simple nor so straightforward; I’m still at the beginning steps of figuring it all out.
When I see Versace, I see both Jessica Rabbit and a woman unafraid of being a woman. As Harry Winston once said, if they must stare, make it worth their while. It’s as if she says look, I dare you, unfazed. What is attention but a fleeting moment of boost in ego?
This is the Versace woman: unabashedly feminine, sensual and at peace with her sexuality. She has and will always be; under Gianni she was this pretty bombshell, and under Donatella she became a more mature version of her younger self. There’s a little more power, a little more strength—two qualities that seem to be present when a woman designing for women—but at the core of things she still remains true to her self. Few houses who have undergone change in leadership remain genuine to their brand’s original vision; Versace is one such rarity.
This fall 2012 show was Versace’s first full-force haute couture runway show for years, held at the Ritz Paris, no less, where Donatella’s brother had always shown. It was only appropriate the front row was filled with celebrities—Jessica Alba, Elizabeth Banks and Fan Bing Bing to name a few—as it was a production: “Showgirls on the Red Carpet,” the flashing LED sign would have read.
Not to be mistaken as some burlesque or more risque sort of an event, though it’d be just as sexy, as one would expect.
Bohemian mermaid and underwater goddess were what came to mind. It was glamorous without a doubt, yet it was glamour done in an unconventional (for Versace) sense. If I were to compare to another designer, there would be Cavalli influence that lends the collection its Ibiza feel. Nothing was ostensibly gaudy where it would make the clothing appear over-saturated and gaudy. Instead it was light. Ethereal. Airy, I would say, but airy wouldn’t be fitting; this was languid. Luxe but weightless, like how you feel when you’re underwater and all you see is endless blue and specks of color. It’s the Mediterranean Sea, the coral reefs by the Caribbean shores, the ocean reflecting moonlight or the approach of dawn.
The clothes were striking. Hair was classic, makeup was pretty, arms and necks were left bare. Any bit of sparkle was less glitz and more natural. Details were subdued, and sequins definitely more refined, catching only glimpses of light to mimic the shimmers across the tops of waves. The end result was something beautiful and exotic: these girls were dream girls. Untouchable, floaty, gorgeous, sensual.
It wasn’t just the soft color palette of oceanic hues that read underwater goddess—it was the manipulation of innovative fabrics. The “finest, hi-tech Japanese polyester” was used to create these shimmery, seemingly floating skirts. The effect was lightweight and languid, breezing about mid-air as each model walked the runway (Vogue.com).
And yet there was enough structure in each piece to complement the ethereal. Donatella was able to incorporate one of Versace’s signatures: complex piecing and patchworking of fabrics gave the illusion of exposing maximum amount of skin whilst hugging every contour of the body. On lithe bodies the effect was sinuous. Crystal-laced chiffon—the number of the night being the nude dress in the center below—and patent leather fastened into corsets and trenches (see the pastel yellow number above) made of perforated leather were the themes of the collection: this was more so sensual than it was explicitly sexy.
It was so very classic and true to Donatella’s reign which was what I loved most about it. Shimmering, light, sensual, complex. A slight hint of bohemia that offsets the incredibly glamorous sex appeal.
According to Versace’s program, the inspiration was derived from the design of tarot cards (Vogue.com). I see that too, understanding the reference by way of Roman numeral XIX studded belts and the air of mystery cast by side-swept waves, set to intentionally cover half the face…
There’s an otherworldly beauty about it all.
. . .
x
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Your turn. Thoughts?