If New York is kind of commercial, London is the scrappy home of DIY, and Paris is le grand fromage, then Milan Fashion Week is the home of hi-octane, OTT glamour. None helped to cement this status more than Versace, with Donatella leading the Italian house her brother built forward under the watchful eye of the gold gilt Medusa head that forms its logo. Naturally, at MFW’s AW25 womenswear shows, the very voff leading lady – who once said she’d have a nervous breakdown if she had to do anything other than design clothes – took over the prime Friday night spot, with attendees dressing up to the nines and downing a glass of champs before heading into the show. Here’s everything you need to know.

DONATELLA TAKES… THE TRAM?

Thought the grand dame of Versace wouldn’t be seen dead on public transport in those heels? Think again. For this season’s show, at least, she headed down to a huge, cavernous tram depot in the middle of Milan, where guests filed past the city’s signature yellow trams which had come home for the night and tried desperately not to get their stilettos wedged – or fall and break their necks – in the metal tracks that snaked across the floor. On each seat, given the space was freezing, sat a cosy Versace blanket.

ICE SPICE SHOWED UP

The front rows of Milan were not quite as packed as usual, likely due to the fact fashion season is much later this year and so clashes with the Oscars. This didn’t have an effect on Versace, however, as campaign star Cillian Murphy landed in the city to take in the show. Joining him was former Dazed cover girlie Ice Spice, fresh from A$AP Rocky’s first Ray-Ban party, and another Versace ambassador in the form of Stray Kids’ Hyunjin. Head to Dazed’s TikTok to see what happened when we got ready for the show with him.

DONATELLA WAS BACK ON FULL-ON FORM

The tram shed was plunged into darkness as the show got started, with Eminem’s “My Name Is” remixed to let everyone know a Versace extravaganza was about to start. After a season of ladylike pastel looks for SS25, and one that channelled punk rock for AW24, for AW25 Donatella cranked up the glamour to debut a collection rich in archival references.

The first few models out of the gate were wrapped in what looked like massive pumped-up duvets, plastered all over with unmistakable gold Baroque prints and that mega Medusa head, before homages to the AW92 S&M collection and AW98’s Atelier Versace couture outing followed down the mammoth 150 metre-long runway. Elsewhere, Alex Consani slunk her way through the space in a glittering, beaded second-skin silver gown that bounced as she walked.

A STAR WAS BORN

Libby Bennett’s been making waves for a while now, walking Donatella’s SS25 show last season, and adding appearances at JW Anderson, Simone Rocha, Fendi, and Calvin Klein to her CV across the last few months. The model was raised up North in Saddleworth (not too far from Manchester) and is a skilled drummer, in addition to having fashion’s cuntiest walk right now. Keep your eye on her: she’s going to be massive.

DONATELLA WANTS YOU TO BE YOU

Fashion’s game of musical chairs has got everyone in a flap right now, and throughout Milan Fashion Week, rumours that Donatella was set to leave Versace – owing to a similarly speculated sale of the house to the Prada Group – were whispered down the front row. For now, her departure remains just that – a rumour – but the designer took the chance to double down on some house rules within her show notes, which read: “Do what you do best, stay true to yourself, and make your mark.”

Scroll through the gallery above to see the full collection.