Atelier Versace Couture Fall 2012

Colin Dawidziuk | July 1, 2012 | 1 Comments

When you hold your latest couture show in the last place you saw the figurehead of your brand, as well as your dearly beloved brother, you know that it is to be a collection that will speak a thousand words and more. And oh, how Donatella didn’t disappoint.

As per the Versace modus operandi, the collection oozed sex appeal, in an array of ways. Whilst the high gloss coats screamed femme fatale/screen siren of Hollywood of yesteryear, the array of brightly colored, flowing gowns highlighted the slightly more exotic side of the sex appeal chart, with skin, legs, and limbs on show, and the atypical body conscious, high hemline skirts and dresses were obviously a nod to Versace’s own history. The key Versace cut-worked pieces which accentuated the flesh-showing added to the highly sexualized collection, but were made significantly more sensual by the range of tones Donatella utilized – blush, rose pink, aqua blue, grass green, canary yellow, and a range of highly detailed beige and tans all contributed to the pared down sexual aspect. Of course, the body conscious shapes screamed Versace, but whilst expertly executed, the collection wasn’t as brash, or as obvious to the eye. Donatella’s ability to go from one extreme, such as her warrior-like men’s collection last week, to the next, such as this Celtic myth-meets-mermaid-meets-siren-meets-fairytale like couture collection shows how diverse she is, without losing sight of the Versace pathway.

Although the collection was as intricately designed, as one would expect – the detailing screams from even the lowest resolution of shots – one must ponder the message Donatella was trying to convey to the world, what with her choice of her venue adding ever so much to the equation. Is this a new era of the brand, or is Donatella simply experimenting more? With her wide array of references and allusions, one cannot be one hundred percent clear. But isn’t that what couture is all about?