By Erin Moonyeen Haley
Although it had to be moved up a day for fear of Friday's rain, the Versace Fall 2023 Ready to Wear show went off without a hitch on Thursday, March 9th on the roof of the palatial Pacific Design Center. Stars galore came out in support: Cher, Elton John, Pamela Anderson, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Channing Tatum, Anne Hathaway, Lil Nas X and more, and all decked out and glamified accordingly. Among those walking the runway were Gigi Hadid and Naomi Campbell, giving the Versace line the superlative treatment Donatella's genius deserves.
Donatella, in turn, returned the love to the City of Angels, stating "I love this city, I love the people, the laid-back vibe, the atmosphere." For the collection, Versace added that she was eager to get back to the cut and shape of clothes that dominated fashion in the mid-1990s, having pinned a pivotal image to her inspirational board that had been taken by Richard Avedon and was of Kristen McMenamy while she wore a skirt suit that was tailored close to the body and bedazzled with Versace signature gold buttons.
Donatella insisted that her goal was to concentrate on the "perfect little black dress, the perfect black suit." While there were plenty of perfect proportions and black geometry, there was also plenty of colorful flair; taffy-pink and aqua dresses were reminiscent of 90s prom with the layered peplums and squiggly bodices, while the excess of colorful opera-length gloves conjured up memories of ransacking mom's closet for fashionable - albeit grown-up - accessories.
Little black dresses and leathery patterns also walked the runway, as did crème-brûlée-colored satins with black florals that splashed across the material with leopard-spot asymmetry. Makeup vacillated between smokey and sultry to angular with punk-rock lightning bolts that angled halfway between a zig and a zag. Through it all, celebrity sightings provided all the additional glamour and name-dropping that one night can handle.
- Images courtesy of Vogue
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