With 48 hours until the Oscars, Donatella Versace made a bid for red carpet glory. Her Milan catwalk show closed with a narrow floorlength gown of pale, moonlight-silver bugle beads with sporty vest-style racer back and a train of ivory maribou feathers, looking custom-made for the gown showdown in Los Angeles.
A Versace catwalk show is always a masterclass in showmanship. The grand internal courtyard of the Versace headquarters in the centre of Milan, where the late Gianni Versace once lived, was laid with thick black carpet embellished with baroque gold swirls to create a grand, plush catwalk.
A vast transparent marquee was erected over the catwalk and seating, to shield the models and audience from the chilly Milan air. Duran Duran, who this week were presented with an award for being "20th century style icons" by mayor of Milan Letizia Moratti, were honoured with prime front row seats next to Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Seating speaks volumes at catwalk shows, and fashion meets rock'n'roll has always been what Versace is about.
Donatella said that the baroque aesthetic had been her inspiration for the collection. "Baroque is a key element of the Versace history. And yet it is contemporary, and works for this moment in time. Baroque brings drama, but to make it modern I kept the line very clean, and used 'pop' colours," she said.
This was a punchy collection which aimed to please the moneyed, gym-honed women who make up Versace's loyal customers. There was plenty of black – Donatella's favourite – but accented with flashes of colour. No expense was spared on the luxurious fabrics, with python, feather-coated chiffon, felted cashmere, leather and suede used to gild floorlength evening gowns, body-conscious shifts and smartly tailored double-breasted coats in jewel shades of ruby and emerald.
The essential silhouette of a shift dress to mid-thigh worn with boots echoed the 1960s silhouette of the Prada collection earlier this week. But – as befits the house of Versace – these boots were not knee-high pull-ons, but spike-heeled, peep-toe and cut to reveal a little more leg.
Emmanuelle Alt, who recently replaced Carine Roitfeld as the editor of French Vogue, was among the first to tell Donatella, backstage after the show, that she "adored" the collection. "I loved the energy. It was very clean, in a good way, and the accessories were fantastic. It was very true to the brand. I want to wear everything, and I want to shoot everything for the magazine."
In 2009, Versace embarked on a drastic streamlining plan which involved cutting 25% of its workforce. Sales figures for 2010 showed a modest gain on the previous year, and Gian Giacomo Ferraris, CEO of the Versace SpA group, has forecast "a significant growth in retail and wholesale sales, as well as a return to profitability" for 2011. This year Versace plans to add two further stores to its 20 existing boutiques in China, and the brand will re-enter the Japanese market, from which it has been absent for two years, this summer.
A Versace catwalk show is always a masterclass in showmanship. The grand internal courtyard of the Versace headquarters in the centre of Milan, where the late Gianni Versace once lived, was laid with thick black carpet embellished with baroque gold swirls to create a grand, plush catwalk.
A vast transparent marquee was erected over the catwalk and seating, to shield the models and audience from the chilly Milan air. Duran Duran, who this week were presented with an award for being "20th century style icons" by mayor of Milan Letizia Moratti, were honoured with prime front row seats next to Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Seating speaks volumes at catwalk shows, and fashion meets rock'n'roll has always been what Versace is about.
Donatella said that the baroque aesthetic had been her inspiration for the collection. "Baroque is a key element of the Versace history. And yet it is contemporary, and works for this moment in time. Baroque brings drama, but to make it modern I kept the line very clean, and used 'pop' colours," she said.
This was a punchy collection which aimed to please the moneyed, gym-honed women who make up Versace's loyal customers. There was plenty of black – Donatella's favourite – but accented with flashes of colour. No expense was spared on the luxurious fabrics, with python, feather-coated chiffon, felted cashmere, leather and suede used to gild floorlength evening gowns, body-conscious shifts and smartly tailored double-breasted coats in jewel shades of ruby and emerald.
The essential silhouette of a shift dress to mid-thigh worn with boots echoed the 1960s silhouette of the Prada collection earlier this week. But – as befits the house of Versace – these boots were not knee-high pull-ons, but spike-heeled, peep-toe and cut to reveal a little more leg.
Emmanuelle Alt, who recently replaced Carine Roitfeld as the editor of French Vogue, was among the first to tell Donatella, backstage after the show, that she "adored" the collection. "I loved the energy. It was very clean, in a good way, and the accessories were fantastic. It was very true to the brand. I want to wear everything, and I want to shoot everything for the magazine."
In 2009, Versace embarked on a drastic streamlining plan which involved cutting 25% of its workforce. Sales figures for 2010 showed a modest gain on the previous year, and Gian Giacomo Ferraris, CEO of the Versace SpA group, has forecast "a significant growth in retail and wholesale sales, as well as a return to profitability" for 2011. This year Versace plans to add two further stores to its 20 existing boutiques in China, and the brand will re-enter the Japanese market, from which it has been absent for two years, this summer.
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