Runway Report: Atelier Versace '16/'17 Haute Couture Collection^
Donatella Versace, Milan’s captivating pocket-rocket designer, opened the Haute Couture shows in Paris with one of her most ladylike collections to date. Bella Hadid, Karen Elson and Irina Shayk featured in her supermodel line-up, adding a graceful yet athletic wholesomeness to even the most slashed and plunging of gowns.
Donatella’s reign has been particularly evident at recent awards ceremonies; her garments have been worn by Angelina Jolie, Jane Fonda, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Garner – the latter was watching from the front row, alongside longtime friend and former Alias co-star Bradley Cooper. As if partly in homage, Versace’s new collection represents a more contemplative and powerful woman. Think classical goddess or flirtatious head girl with bold plans of global domination.
So it comes as no surprise that the Versace Atelier collection was a no-holds-barred display of plunge, curve, slash and skin. A self-declared rebel and punk, Donatella’s feisty personality is injected into the glamorous collection through various dramatic draping and bow-embellished heels. From the asymmetric neckline of a black tailleur to the jaw-dropping swaths of Bella Hadid’s demure sheath, the designer’s influence is inescapable.
A theatrical, clinched cashmere coat in a rose-kissed pink and mint green opened the show, with one lapel seductively slipping off a naked shoulder. Underneath hid a scarlet bustier ensemble, as voluptuous as its model Karen Elson’s glitter-doused pout. The colour combinations were bold and unusual, often partnering sky-blue silk or lavender with pillar-box crimson.
There’s no disputing the skill and craft that’s gone into this collection, which consists of made-to-measure clothes that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Whether it’s sequined contouring or jaw-dropping leg lengthening, each piece offers a combination of seduction and status that gives the Versace wearer an air of enviable self-confidence that any assertive woman longs for.
A plethora of messy buns, off-shoulder tailoring and oversized hoop earrings add a contemporary off-duty vibe that we’ve previously seen in Versace’s more recent shows. An obvious favourite for after-dark, the label’s challenge is to avoid the bedraggled murk of a party that’s overshot its moment of humility. We want decadence, Donatella. Not sleaze.
