Power Play

This capsule is espresso-strength, full-voltage Versace. The impact of an elegant white sheath maxi dress is given a rocket-fueled blast-off with provocative leather belt-strap detailing at the bodice and a sky-high split. A bodysuit in graphic baroque swirls is pure ’90s fever, paired with high-waisted tuxedo party shorts. The edit is laser-focused, honed by a house that knows how to live it up – whether your dream party shoe is a kitten mule, a classic slender pump or a towering ankle strap, it is here.

OK, full disclosure – although I suspect you might have guessed. Donatella Versace is something of a heroine of mine. I became a fashion editor just a few years after Donatella had been catapulted into the limelight after her brother’s murder as the de-facto head of the Versace fashion dynasty. It has been extraordinary to observe, over the course of almost two decades, her evolution from a raw, troubled talent, battling with grief and addiction, into a titan of the fashion world. Female empowerment is hard-wired into Donatella’s DNA. In the male-dominated ecosystem of Italian fashion, she celebrates female empowerment the way Versace does everything: by living and breathing it.

That one dress can break the internet twice, 20 years apart, is testament to the enduring appeal of a Versace look. A rich vein of classicism rubs up against the rock’n’roll in the house motifs. Gianni looked to classical goddesses to inspire his drapery: “I come from a land with a rich history – its roots are ancient roots that knew the aristocracy of sculptural draperies,” he once said. He was an avid collector of 20th-century art, with a passion for pop art, which he translated into audaciously cartoonish graphic prints on ’90s leggings and body-con dresses that look just as contemporary today. Poignantly, Donatella has used her late brother’s signature as a graphic all-over print in this collection. “When I’m working with elements from the archive, I am working with the very soul of this brand and it is important to explain the context.” This collection, like all of her collections, is infused with her pride in “the work of my brother and the barriers he broke – how revolutionary and new his style was back in those days.”

The last time I sat down for a full-length interview with Donatella, during the sultry Milan June of men’s fashion week two years ago, she told me that the difference between a woman designing for women and a man designing for women is that, while men love to sketch, “I don’t care about the sketch, I care about the fit. I drape the fabric, I try everything on, I work so that when you put on Versace, you feel better. You should feel impenetrable. And that needs to happen for a size 38 and for a size 46.” The house of Versace invented the supermodel – it was Gianni’s vision, to supersize these delicate beauties into giants of fashion culture – but Versace speaks a fashion language that everyone can understand.

“The women of today have enough personality to look at what they see and decide for themselves, what works with their own style and what does not,” Donatella says. “There are no rules, there are no limits. Versace attracts women with a certain type of personality, women who are not afraid to dare, who stand up for what they believe in, who are not afraid to make bold choices. Fashion can be a weapon; it can boost your confidence. But the power of the woman – that comes from within.” Make an entrance, make an impact. Have fun. Be your best self. A night to remember begins with an unforgettable dress.

Watch the formidable Italian designer answer some revealing questions from the one person who knows her best: herself…

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