In a vision reminiscent of Kate Moss walking Gianni Versace’s AW95 show, Paris Hilton just closed Versace’s SS23 offering, dressed in a hot pink metal mesh mini dress, candy floss veil, and sliving gloves. “Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins,” she once said, a statement which Donatella has clearly taken to heart. She also said “When Paris has to pee, Paris has to pee!” which might have explained her stomp, arms swinging through a candle-strewn runway as if she was on the way to demand a pay rise. The reality star-cum-mogul followed in the footsteps of Precious Lee, Gigi Hadid, Emily Ratajowksi, Bella Hadid, Vittoria Ceretti, and the usual coterie of high-glam Versace muses.
A hard and fast soundtrack – “Sex to the Devil” by Icky Blooms – set the modus operandi of the collection, preaching “drugs, sex, rock and roll, the devil.” So, alongside all the feather boas, buccaneering shrugs, and flouncy chiffon party dresses, Donatella applied a darker accent to this season’s proposal: there were sinuous, hooded bodycons, biker jackets, leather mini skirts, gothic-lace gowns, and spaghetti-strapped babydoll dresses. Platform brogues, low-slung and spray-on motorcycle pants, and bicep bracelet-cum-purses were further proof of the label’s tilt into the shadows.
Backstage, as Maricarla, Gigi and co filed out the back door, the Simple Life icon went full living, breathing Barbie, and she stepped into a glass box and began posing the house down. Though the security guards repeatedly yelled “non scattate foto”, it didn’t stop a bunch of hands wielding cameras shooting into the air and snapping pics. This isn’t the first time Hilton has stormed her way down the catwalk. She’s also taken a turn at The Blonds, Christian Cowan, as well as featuring in Lanvin’s SS21 campaign. But Donatella loves a cameo – she was the first to ingratiate celebrities into the upper echelons of high fashion, starting with Prince and Madonna in the 90s, before leading up to the very moment Dua Lipa licked her lips at the end of her SS22 catwalk. Maybe the stars are blind after all!