Donatella Versace and her in-house team relaunched the Versus collection in the spring, putting an athletic spin on the label’s signature sizzling looks and aiming to appeal to young women (and men) who don’t mind a bit of clubbing after their crunches, and who want easy pieces that can work in the daytime, too.
That’s just what Donatella delivered for fall — a lineup of easy, street-y pieces for the glammed-up Millennial, all delivered to (what else?) a thumping techno beat. They swung from the racy — as in a black leather wrap skirt with a big slit up the front, and a little chain-mail dress that barely hid the model’s bottom — to the more demure.
The quieter looks were the strongest, such as cropped, nubby sweaters and dark jackets with rounded sleeves, a burgundy and white Neoprene suit with a swingy skirt, and minidresses that were a mix of chain mail and fuzzy pink yarn. One lovely dress came with fingertip-grazing sleeves and an abstract black-and-white newspaper print with Versace in some of the headlines.
That same print spilled onto oversized puffer jackets, too. Shots of bright aqua added to the collection’s sporty feel as in one neoprene dress with a cutout back like a swimsuit. Many of the looks crossed right over to men’s wear, such as the sweaters (long, not cropped), puffers and round-sleeved jackets.
Versace didn’t elaborate — before or after the show — about the collection, and her front-row guests, who included Lottie Moss and Will.i.am, also kept mum. The British R&B star Tinie Tempah, a designer in his own right who won warm reviews for his first What We Wear collection, said his favorite look from the show was that worn by Adwoa Aboah.
“I really liked the big, branded puffer jacket she wore,” he said before slipping backstage. He was less effusive about the show’s booming music and flashing lights. “I make R&B, so that sort of thing is not really for me.”