Versace celebrates diversity, strength, and individuality

Donatella Versace took over Milan Fashion Week earlier this evening, staging her latest Versace offering just days after turning Kensington into her Versus club kid hangout. Teasing the line-up in video interviews with models including Adwoa Aboah, Kiki Willems, Teddy Quinlivan, and the Hadids (naturally) before the show, the house knows how to build excitement – here’s what you missed. 

THE SET WAS DARK AND NEON

Like the Versus Versace rave cave last week, Donatella’s set for main Versace line’s womenswear offering was totally dark, with only a thin line printed on the runway like a neon strip for the models to walk down. Giant LCD screens flashed as the show opened with the sound of thumping bass and the word “EQUALITY” echoing on repeat.

IT WAS ALL ABOUT LOVE, UNITY AND EMPOWERMENT

The same word appeared printed all over the clothes, along with “LOVE”, “UNITY,” “STRENGTH” and “POWER”. Bright flashes of colour shot through the black, mirroring this mood, while tinted glasses and matching puffa jackets gave the collection an overall sense of fun and freedom. The Versace woman’s signature sexiness was less overt, incorporating demure dresses – though these were still sheer, naturally – florals and ruffles. As Donatella’s girls marched in unison at the end of the show, there was a sense of empowerment – something Versace’s creative director had been hinting at on the luxury house’s Instagram page.

VERSACE’S GIRLS WENT PUNK

The Versace woman is powerful, and the make-up definitely matched that attitude this time. In pre-show teasers, Bella, Gigi and the rest of the girls were pictured getting their war paint on – but not just on their faces. Dramatic all-over lid black cat eyes peeked out from under hair streaked with either blue, red, or yellow – a throwback to our dream teen cuts.

SOME ICONIC MODELS MADE AN APPEARANCE

Though Donatella is famously fond of her millennial models (she always features the Instagram holy trinity of Gigi, Bella and Kendall), this one was for everyone. Seasoned model Amber Valletta took to the catwalk in Donatella’s designs, while Naomi Campbell watched front row. In the designer’s own words, this was “a collection about the power of women and women who know how to use their power. It is a call for unity, and the strength that comes from positivity and hope.” That’s a message we can get behind.