Versace’s Utopia: Donatella Dreams up Merfolk and Mystery for Milan
Graphic by Michelle Hong. Images via Versace.
It was a stubbornly overcast day in late September. I had just finished my first two weeks of college classes from the confines of my pink zebra-print bedroom walls. My slightly exhausted self aimlessly scrolled through Instagram, as one does on a casual, COVID-19 Friday afternoon. Suddenly, the Zoom fog cleared. A picturesque Imman Hammam graced my screen.
She dazzled in a celeste blue Versace babydoll dress, complete with hints of lemon piping, a rose and ruby rhinestone studded shell bodice, a bubblegum hair clip, a pink bag, and viridescent kitten heels. I was utterly transfixed. This look, Look 75, from Versace’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection, is captioned “Surf’s up [wave emoji] @imaanhammam captured in an onda-hemline dress inspired by the movement of waves.” Look 75 and the collection’s other 78 looks are straight out of Ariel’s closet. I could envision the dripping princess emerging from the waves and slipping into this number, wet hair and all, for a night out with Attina, Alana, Aquata, Arista, Adella and Andrina.
Image via Versace.
After giddly DMing the photo to my friend, I rushed to my computer to enjoy the digital footage of the Milan Versacepolis fashion show. As Donatella Versace mused on the company’s website: “I wanted to create something disruptive, something that could be in tune with what has changed inside all of us. To me that meant dreaming of a new world. A world made of popping colors and fantastic creatures and a world in which we can all coexist peacefully.” For Versace, that meant creating an aquatic utopia called Versacepolis for all of us to savor. She describes Versacepolis on Versace.com as a settlement ruled by Medusa and “populated by strong and confident men and women.” Her show transported me to what I treasure most about fashion: it is fantastical storytelling - it is reverie. Plus, it doesn't hurt that my own personal style, aesthetic and general attitude are embodied to a T by Versacepolis. I instantly bonded with these bubbly mermaid-inspired fashions. Although it may sound absurd, I feel like Donatella somehow, in some way, dreamed up Versacepolis, with all its playful charm, just for me.
One of the standout looks is Look 77, worn by the stunning Irina Shayk, featuring a series of colorful bedazzled starfish and seashells. Its full-length formfitting silhouette is made of a glistening baby blue silk.
Image via Versace.
On the men's side, Look 76 captures the cheer and innocence of a utopia. This monochrome, oversized blush suit is accessorized with a twinkling starfish brooch and pink sunglasses.
Image via Versace.
Baubles and charms are speckled throughout the collection, infusing each look with decidedly whimsical undertones. Staples throughout the collection are tiny neon bags in the shape of the brand’s logo, layers upon layers of shell necklaces, anklets, and body chains. Barbie pink hair clips brought me back to the hours spent playing dress up. The beloved aviator sunglasses also make an appearance. Models carry a range of avant-garde bags secured with chunky, colorful chains. Bright lips were omnipresent in fuchsia, fluorescent orange, coral and cherry red.
In his piece for Vogue Runway, Anders Christian Madsen summarizes the collection beautifully as “a pumped-up zingy-colored mix of Malibu Barbie’s summer wardrobe and that of the Little Mermaid if only Prince Eric had bought them a house in Miami.” It’s fairytale gone Hollywood in a way that I have never seen so perfectly executed. I’m living for every moment.
Image via Vulture.
And the fantasy extended to the runway. Versacepolis embraced the splendor and showiness of the “Big Five” supermodel era. With its over-the-top runway staging, Versacepolis departs from the minimalist runways that have become the new norm. A hidden sea cove set elevated the underwater fantasy to new heights, or more accurately, new depths. Models strutted through a labyrinth of ancient columns and statues. Circular ruins featuring the classic Versace logo cluttered the runway. Thanks to sophisticated digital production and lighting technology, the entire show swam in turquoise blues and teals. Dynamic lighting gave the impression of twinkling light peeking beneath the waves. Simply put, it was like visiting Ariel’s grotto from “Part of Your World.” To complete the merfolk aesthetic, a mechanical octopus named Churro, perhaps the long-lost friend of Ursula’s pets Flotsam and Jetsam, scuttled across the sandy runway moments before the lights cut.
Graphic by Molly Van Gorp. Images via Versace and Heritage Auctions.
I loved this show’s elaborate storytelling through setting, staging and lighting. The mock sea floor contextualizes these exquisite looks in a way that cannot be done with fabric and stitches alone. Like Simon Porte Jacquemus always emphasizes in his interviews, fashion tells a story, and that story, in my view, can only be fully realized through tactful staging, mood music, model personality and setting.
Additionally, everything down to the fluorescent rainbow signage and promotional content imbues the Y2K and 1990s digital, futuristic aesthetic.
Image via Versace.
In fact, as Madsen notes in Vogue Runway, prints across this collection are reminiscent of Gianni Versace’s “trésor de la mer” Spring 1992 collection, which featured seashell motifs pictured below.
Image via Fashion Channel.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer or any of the other legendary “Big Five” waltzed across my screen with their supermodel sass. I believe that Versacepolis is ushering us into supermodel era 2.0 that will reign across the world of high fashion. In many ways we are already beginning to see this shift in the fashion world. Attention is increasingly centered on models as names like the Hadids, Winnie Harlow, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber frequent our social media feeds. With the rise of influencer culture, they have attained celebrity status in their own right. Not to mention that Y2K and mid-1990s styles are presently all the rage.
As Versace said in an interview with Vogue Runway on September 25, “I wanted to do something disruptive and to break the rules because I think that, what worked a few months ago, does not make any sense today. Creatively, that meant finding a way to bring the DNA of Versace to a new reality and to people who have undergone a deep change.” This “new reality” will be “an example of inclusion, of mutual support, and acceptance of what is different from us.” In essence, Versacepolis welcomes an era of fashion that will echo the glamor, glitz and shameless over-the-topness of the peak supermodel decades, but with a fresh, inclusive lens. Notably, this is the first Versace show to include plus size models (Precious Lee, Alva Claire, and Jill Kortleve), an act that is bound to set a precedent for other fashion houses.
From a more practical standpoint, although I hesitate to use that phrase as Versacepolis is clearly far from utilitarian, there are several key trend takeaways from the show. First and foremost, Y2K and mid-1990s styles are here to stay, at least until next summer. Babydoll dresses, bra tops, baggy menswear, blazers mixed with biker shorts, cropped cardigans, low rise, and unique athleisure-formal pairings will be constants throughout this season and into the next. So if you’ve had your eye on a pair of low rise jeans, now is the time to invest.
In this time, we could all use a little reverie, a little out of this world — or in the case of Versacepolis — under this world glamour as a distraction, and as a delightful, dreamlike escapade. I gladly embrace the overt excess in colors, prints, accessories and sparkles. There is nothing I love more than elements that infuse innocent fun into fashion.