With nearly 100 exits, I find myself
at odds with what to write since there is really nothing to write about but I did
seem to find this piece from one brave editor from one of our supposed fashion
bibles which seems to sum it all up nicely:
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Versace has had a banner season
— nearly breaking the Internet with the last women’s runway show by sending out
Jennifer Lopez in (almost) the same jungle-print gown she wore to the 2000
Grammys, then outfitting new-gen voluptuous beauty Lizzo as a Hollywood goddess
for the Oscars earlier this month.
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But on the runway Friday night, there were no star turns other than Donatella
herself, projected Warholian-style in repeating portraits on the digital video
screen spanning the 40-meter runway. She may still be the figurehead, but
there’s no denying the house of Versace has changed under Capri Holdings: it’s
less about charting new design territory, and more about repackaging greatest
hits, with a few updates for the changing times. Having tackled age inclusivity
(thank you, Nineties supermodels and J.Lo) in September, this season, it was on
to gender. “Today’s generation does not care about gender…there’s no female or
male,” the designer said during a preshow press conference of her decision to
take her show coed. That was after she opened with a few choice words about the
horrific rise in hate crimes around the world: “What happened in Germany a few
days ago is almost the last drop, I mean, we need to act and to be fast and we
cannot permit young people to think that going back to the past, to the horror
of the past is a good thing.” You could feel the passion in her voice. Less so
in the collection, which seemed to favor commerciality over conviction.
Versace, like Miuccia Prada and Silvia Venturini Fendi this week, said she set
out to explore power and sensuality. But this was not a deep dive into gender
and sexuality so much as a surface skimming. This despite the fact that Gianni
Versace was one of the first designers to come out in the Nineties, Donatella is
a gay icon, Billy Porter and other pioneering celebs have been busting
gender-fashion norms, and now more than ever, consumers seem to want brands to
engage. It felt like a missed opportunity to say more.
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This might be an object lesson
of 'be careful what you wish for'…. At least the Versace clan is richer for it
but poor Gianni is spinning!
