“Versace’s vision,” noted Vogue of Gianni Versace’s Spring 1997 collection, “is a sky blue wraparound dress of matte jersey.” Romance was in the air—and in the hair—at the Italian house, where models wore flower headdresses. The floaty lightness of this collection, full of wraps and ruffles, was a welcome reboot of the Versace formula. Not that the clothes Versace showed were tame—far from it. Constructed from whispery chiffons, sheers, and jerseys, they revealed more of the body than some of the designer‘s more formal designs, but the mood was different. He evoked intimacy via dishabille, pairing cashmere robes with nightgown-like dresses, for example, in a tempered palette that included smoke and charcoal grays.
Adding pop with a capital P to the proceedings were colorful, abstract flower and heart prints on transparent stretch tulle, inspired by the works of Julian Schnabel, Jim Dine, Philip Taaffe, and Peter Schuyff, which the designer had assembled for his new New York home. “There has always been a connection between art and fashion,” Versace said. “It’s as if Peggy Guggenheim came back to life and said, ‘Dress me.’”
