“This collection is different for me. I put a lot of attention on draping, and less on embroideries and super-sexy.” That was Donatella Versace 24 hours or so before tonight’s Atelier Versace show at her hair and makeup test with Guido Palau and Pat McGrath. It was a pronouncement that held up on the runway, where, indeed, Versace toned down the house signature va-va-voom, at least to begin with. The show opened with a dramatic, cinched cashmere coat in blush pink backed in mint green, with one lapel dipping off a bare shoulder over a scarlet bustier gown the same shade as its model Karen Elson’s glitter-painted lips. The color combination was unusual, but persuasive, as was the combo that came a couple of looks later: crimson cashmere lined with sky blue silk and worn over a lavender slip dress.
As for the draping that Versace mentioned, it took many forms, from the asymmetric neckline of an excellent black tailleur, to the swags of fabric that clung to the curves of Bella Hadid’s otherwise demure long-sleeved red sheath, to the floor scraping yards of fabric knotted at the hips of a stretchy, sequined tube dress. Irina Shayk’s sculptural bodice black gown with the hip-grazing slit is headed straight for the red carpet. Regarding the embroideries Versace disavowed, in the end there wound up being a quite a few of them; paillettes fairly encrusted the back of a wrap coat and glinted from between the ribbon-like construction of hourglass gowns. Old habits are hard to break. A few of the looks toward the end couldn’t help but look belabored compared to the high chic of that cold shoulder belted coat.
