The Everlasting Love for Versace
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Versace has been everywhere lately, as it should. From being mentioned in songs by Drake, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars, it deserves all the attention it gets because any piece that is made is always a memorable piece. We are taking you into the archives of Versace and its history to further demonstrate its never-ending spotlight it still has today.
The brand’s alluring looks include baroque & rococo designs, their signature chainmail, funky color palette, usage of diverse materials/hardware, and punk looks… They have incorporated so many aesthetics that we cannot get enough of feeding the reason for the surge in archive pieces and the many celebrity dressings recently.
We explore through the archives of Versace’s many iconic designs and what Versace has been up to in the current day…
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A dress we will never forget was the black dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley to the Four Weddings and a Funeral movie premiere in 1994. The plunging silk black dress was held together by gold safety pins. The attention the dress grabbed and how fantastic Hurley looked in it… Let’s just say she became a star overnight.
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If you haven’t seen Dua Lipa’s bondage dress at the Grammys, this is where the inspiration came from. Fall 1992 runway has led the revolution of bondage, S&M silhouettes. Many looks have tried to imitate this look, but no one can come close to the iconic Versace.
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You already know this dress. The tropical plunging dress worn by Amber Valletta down the Spring 2000 catwalk only left eyes bulging out of heads. Later that year, Jennifer Lopez wore the look to the Grammys and everyone still has that dress envisioned in their mind since 2000.
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The four iconic Versace models, (from left to right) Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington, honor George Michael by lip syncing to his song, “Freedom” while walking down the runway in 1991.
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Linda Evangelista for Versace Fall 1991 show.
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The pop of colors were notorious for the Spring 1991 runway.
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Christy Turlington struts down the runway in a shimmering jumpsuit paying homage to Vogue in the 1991 collection as well.
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Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell at a charity gala in LA, Feb. 1991.
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1991, behind-the-scenes of a Versace fashion show, Cindy Crawford is interviewing Claudia Schiffer.
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Naomi Campbell in the Fall/Winter 1991 show in LA.
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Donatella and Elton John photographed out and about in NYC 1991 decked out in Versace. Elton John is sporting an all purple look while Donatella looks dazzling in a beaded sleeveless gown.
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And now for the 18th-century romanticism, Baroque style collection, Versace’s 1992 runway show included many patterns that embody “romantic rock” or “chic and shock” as Versace puts it. The leopard spots and baroque swirls put a spin on the 18th century fashions as we know it.
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Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista at Versace Spring/Summer show, 1992.
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Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer at the Amfar show in NYC, Feb. 1992.
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Kate Moss, 1995 Versace Spring/Summer catwalk in Milan at age 21.
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Gianni Versace himself, and Naomi Campbell at the VH1 Fashion and Music Awards in 1995.
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A futuristic gown featuring transparent materials and shimmering fabric in the 1995-1996 show.
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Kate Moss in a Versace zippered bridal gown for the Versace 1995-1996 Couture show.
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Princess Diana in a purple monochrome Versace look at a gala in Chicago, 1996.
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Kate Moss in Versace Spring/Summer show, 1996.
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The 1997 Versace Atelier Couture collection was Gianni Versace’s last show before he got murdered in Miami. The collection referenced medieval sculptures and religious mosaics. This specific dress was later worn by Kim Kardashian for her sister, Kourtney Kardashian’s 40th birthday celebration.
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This look is one of the sleeker looks of the 1997 Atelier collection with its color blocking of turquoise and black instead of the signature chainmail.
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Another stunning look from the Atelier 1997 collection.
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Iman, Met Gala 1997.
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Carolyn Murphy, Met Gala 1997.
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Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss-forever Versace girls, take the stage at the Diamonds Are Forever event in collaboration with De Beers in 1999.
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Gisele Bündchen in Versace Fall/Winter show, 1999-2000.
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Linda Evangelista and others for Versace.
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Versace’s Spring 2002 Couture collection covers the theme of “circus of color and crystal” as Donatella describes it.
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Another gorgeous look from the 2002 show.
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Ok, last one from the 2002 Couture show, just can’t get enough.
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Versace’s 2003 Couture show featured some looks that embodied the Gothic era.
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Beyonce donned this Versace look at her BET awards performance to “Crazy in Love” in 2003 wearing a shortened version of the SS03 Versace gown. Zendaya paid tribute to Beyonce at the 2021 BET awards wearing the gown, looking stunning as per usual.
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Remember this? Another Y2K beauty, but from the movie, 13 Going on 30. The Versace 2003 collection has been one of the most iconic. So iconic that it has been recreated by many other brands and also seen on Ariana Grande.
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Spring 2007 ready-to-wear collection is bringing back the eighties with neutral patterns and sleek embellishments as shown above.
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Versace’s Spring 2009 collection reflects on past collections of exotic designs including sea life and summery prints.
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Baroque, vivid pastels, and geometric prints. Versace is back at it again with their fun, eye-catching style for the 2010 Spring runway.
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The infamous leg-baring velvet gown was worn by Angelina Jolie, another forever Versace girl, at the Oscars in 2012.
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The opener of the 2018 Spring show was this signature yellow and black baroque pattern. As shown in some looks below, this collection was inspired by key prints in past collections in honor of Gianni Versace, marking the 20th anniversary of his tragic death. The most iconic past collections being baroque, animalia, Vogue, butterflies, and Warhol to name a few.
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The 2018 show continued with a few leather looks. This specific look gave us some Western cowgirl vibes, but made glamorous.
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2018 runway kind of channeled Barbie with a similar font for the Versace label on the front of the t-shirt. The baby blue monochrome outfit was chic and clean as it went down the runway.
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Versace never fails with incorporating a fun print. The rainbow butterflies spiced up the 2018 Spring collection even more with the swimsuits, bathrobes, and matching towels, bags, and sunglasses.
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Bringing back some aesthetics from 1991, 2018 has made a mini dress with a pop art Warhol look of Marilyn Monroe’s face.
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The 2018 show closed with the original 90s models: Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Helena Christensen. Standing alongside Donatella, they paid tribute to Gianni Versace and his infamous Oroton dresses.
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Kim Kardashian wore a skintight chainmail gown made by Donatella herself to the 2018 Met Gala. This look references the 1997 Atelier Couture collection which is fitting for the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” theme.
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Kim Kardashian served another Versace look in 2019 for Chance the Rapper’s wedding. This lavender, blue, and green silk slip came straight from the archives when worn on Naomi Campbell in 1996 runway show.
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Kylie Jenner pictured with Travis Scott in Capri, Italy celebrating her 22nd birthday in 2019 wearing a two-piece Versace set.
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You can see a modern transition in the Fall 2020 collection. Donatella was striving to reach the digital present with this collection by incorporating bold, primary colors and letters in her looks.
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Zendaya wore a deep chocolate sheer dress from Versace’s AW96 collection for the Green Carpet Awards in 2020.
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Olivia Rodrigo is wearing a vintage Versace gown from the SS01 couture collection to the MTV Music Awards in 2021. The strapless gown still looks good as new and absolutely stunning on Rodrigo.
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Covered in sequins and diamante, Dua Lipa wore a butterfly strappy dress to the 2021 Grammys featuring some side cutouts. The sheer ensemble showed off a bubblegum pink bodysuit underneath. Lipa dazzled the carpet.
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Dua Lipa pays tribute to the signature safety pins of Versace in her chainmail fun-colored set at the Versace Frieze party in London last year.
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Versace introduces their new monogram in the Fall 2021 collection. Its looks replicate the 1970s silhouettes with a slight retro-futuristic expression. The skimpy hemlines, tone-on-tone, and bright colors are shown throughout the collection to also bring out the social media age.
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And here we are with the bright colors of the Fall 2021 collection.
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Versace’s Spring 2022 collection incorporates Miami neons limited with the color black. The neon infamous safety pins held the slashes of the fabric together giving the dress a playful look.
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The 2022 collection further continues with their playful patterns and silk fabrics. Emily Ratajkowski dons a black skirt and patterned cropped silk top with a matching handkerchief hair accessory.
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Dua Lipa debuts at the 2022 show in a hot pink dipped chainmail two-piece set.
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The Fall 2022 collection is here to represent multiplicity and progression. This collection is also focused on corset dressing, one of Versace’s fortes. Raw-edged tweed, specifically shown in this look, highlights the diversity of a new generation.
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Versace throws glamorous street style into the mix of the Fall 2022 collection with metallic jeans and their signature corset top dressed up with some rhinestone draping.
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The alluring latex pulls a look together and amps it up in one second. This all-black outfit looks so chic and cool from the Fall 2022 collection.
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Cardi B looks stunning in a custom dripping gold coin gown for the Met Gala 2022.
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Gigi Hadid wore a red, gigantic coat over a red latex outfit for the Met Gala 2022 carpet.
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Blake Lively and Versace changed the game with this transformational dress. The dress started off as a burgundy color until the huge bow on the backside revealed a beautiful turquoise overlay. Not surprised when two geniuses create something so memorable.
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If you didn’t know already, Versace and Fendi, also known as Fendace, have collaborated on the Pre-Fall 2022 collection. With slinky chainmail looks and the usual fabulous baroque styles mixed with some Fendi patterns, the collection is to die for.
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Another Fendace look for the books.
