When Versace promised to take New York by storm this weekend, it probably didn’t mean it
quite so literally. As rain and wind swept through Manhattan on Sunday evening, the brand staged its first ever show in the city at the Stock Exchange to celebrate its new status as an US-owned fashion house.
Three months after Versace announced it had sold the company to Capri Holdings (formerly Michael Kors Holdings) for £1.64bn, Donatella Versace – who retained shares and creative control – was Stateside to “pay homage to this incredible city”. Speaking just before the show, she said she wanted to “take the sartorial heritage of Milan and [fuse] it with the energy of New York”. She delivered on her promise.
As models circled a giant gold statue of the Statue of Liberty’s torch – a “symbol of New York and female strength”, the designer said – the classic baroque-inspired Versace chain print was juxtaposed with stars and stripes on skin-tight catsuits, micro minidresses and power suits, bringing together one of the house’s emblems with that of the US.
Elsewhere, the “I heart NY” T-shirt was reimagined with a signature gold Medusa head transfer, and candy-coloured patent minidresses were worn with sneakers rather than sky-high heels. “It’s about attitude; you put trainers on with a miniskirt and it’s not sexy anymore, just cool,” Versace said.
