Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Courtesy of Versace, Sunnei
Until his death in 1997, Gianni Versace seemed to be everywhere. His fabulous homes—in Milan, Miami, on Lake Como—were featured in magazines, often with celebrated guests like Elton John, Madonna and Prince. Versace couldn’t get enough of the gold medusas and ornate classical prints, and the public couldn’t get enough of Gianni. Another indelible image is of a smiling Versace on the runway surrounded by supermodels. The era of Christy, Naomi and Linda seemed to begin with him. And there were the couture shows in Paris, when he covered over the pool at the Ritz and the girls swept down the staircase in their drop-dead gowns.
His sister Donatella did her best to continue his vision. Indeed, in time, she became a beloved figure in fashion, known for her sense of humor. (She once appeared in an ad video as a blond sea goddess in an aquarium.) This year, Prada Group agreed to buy the brand from the U.S. company that has owned it for seven years, and Donatella stepped aside, ending an extraordinary chapter in fashion. To be honest, the last few years haven’t been great, with the brand’s codes shuffled and reshuffled so that almost nothing meant anything. It wasn’t necessarily Donatella’s fault.
Dario Vitale is the new designer at Versace. Born in 1983, he comes from near Naples and previously worked at Miu Miu, Bottega Veneta and Dsquared. There hasn’t been much curiosity about Vitale’s debut, as there is for Matthieu Blazy at Chanel or Jonathan Anderson at Dior, partly because the commercial stakes are so much lower for Versace. Then, too, the company at first said Vitale would only be doing a presentation, not a runway show. The fashion world also doesn’t know much about Vitale, his sensibility. He’s basically a dark horse.
On Saturday night, he did put on a show, at Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, an art museum established in 1618, consisting of 24 small rooms and many treasures, including a Caravaggio, and all tucked away in central Milan.
My expectations, already low, were lowered further by the mundane outfits on the first six or seven models—loose zip-front hoodies, Capri pants in faded green or lavender cotton, jeans with muted photo prints of pin-ups, and muscle shirts reduced to a panel in front and back. Tacky stuff, I thought. Actually, my first thought was: I didn’t know Versace was going down market. Vitale had hiked up all the pants so they weren’t just high on the waist; they also gave shape to the waist and ass because the pants were belted tight. Later in the show, the fly would be partially undone, with the belt buckled over it.
Photo: Courtesy of Versace
However, by look 10—an oversized lavender blazer worn with faded royal blue pants and a red T-shirt—I was on board. And by look 22—a tailored charcoal suit with an unbuttoned yellow jean jacket under the coat—I was wondering where Dario Vitale had been all my life. Look 27—a top-stitched black leather jacket worn with layered polos and deep brown leather pants (fly ajar)— clinched the deal.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of VersacePhoto: Courtesy of Versace
From top: Photo: Courtesy of VersacePhoto: Courtesy of Versace
Photo: Courtesy of Versace
Imagine if Vitale had trotted out a bunch of top models in skintight pastel dresses pierced with safety pins. Or bonneted in Medusa-print scarves with ice-cold shades. We would have died—from boredom. But this show, with its ordinary men and women, not looking overly groomed in their hitch-up pants and unaffected color mixes, produced an extraordinary sex appeal. And it felt uncontrived.
More importantly, Vitale cut a path through luxury. Many of the collections in Milan, whether from young designers or major brands, suffer from the same problem. Their clothes don’t look personal. The designers don’t have a fresh proposal about how to dress, what looks confident. Instead, they only know how to make exceptional “pieces”—with artful construction, drapery and trims. Or they tout high-quality materials and simplicity but the designs are generic.
Meanwhile, the Italian fashion industry is worried about its future. Traffic is down in stores. Chinese consumers are buying a lot less. Maybe a problem is what Italian brands are selling.
“There’s always an aspect of austerity to Gianni,” Vitale told reporters after the show. Most people probably wouldn’t think of Versace as an austere guy, based on how he lived, but Vitale seemed to extract a lot of ideas from Versace’s habits, from looking at ephemera in the company’s archive and just studying him. Vitale pointed out the savoir-faire of combining certain tones. He mentioned his own habit, since his younger years, of wearing a shirt and an undershirt “every single day,” and he prefers a high waist.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of VersacePhoto: Courtesy of Versace
From top: Photo: Courtesy of VersacePhoto: Courtesy of Versace
Much of the collection worked because the combinations felt a little “off.” For example, he put a rather banal blue-brown-tan striped knit vest with a pair of dark brown croc-embossed leather pants. There was a tiny silver-beaded bra top with a pair of pants in yellow-turquoise-red striped cotton. Maybe both outfits looked interesting for not trying too hard. Vitale was also realistic about the Versace prints. Muted, they appeared in a handful looks, like a print shirt (on a guy) with a light green floral-patterned cardigan and gray-striped pants. Again, you could imagine someone wearing the prints on the street, and not just at a disco.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of VersacePhoto: Courtesy of Versace
From top: Photo: Courtesy of VersacePhoto: Courtesy of Versace
Of course, people online said the collection didn’t look like Versace, that Gianni would hate it. Would he? I’m not so sure. Anyway, it’s a different time. And I’m not really interested in whether Vitale looked at Versus or eighties Versace. The point is, he found a path. He took a great name away from the deadly trappings of luxury and put it back into fashion, with a genuine new feeling. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Sunnei, the innovative and entertaining brand founded Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, staged their show on Friday as an auction, with the managing director of Christie’s in Italy serving as auctioneer. Only two lots were for sale; guests were given “fashion dollars” (I got $6 million), and the models stood to the side, pretending to take phone bids.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of SunneiPhoto: Courtesy of Sunnei
From top: Photo: Courtesy of SunneiPhoto: Courtesy of Sunnei
It was funny—up to a point. The first lot was a large Sunnei logo. The second lot, revealed in its crate, were Messina and Rizzo. That was their farewell from the brand, for they soon announced they were stepping down. No further details were given. It’s truly a pity. They’ve given so much to fashion with their fearless and lighthearted shows, not to mention realistic clothes.
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