My very first image of Gianni Versace is burned on my memory forever. It was 1992 and it was the vibrant potency of his vision of glamour that did it! What I remember so vividly is how with a stunning sense of time and drama, he sent the supermodels onto the runway all at once. There they stood, a tall and powerful tribe of modern goddesses wearing draped black dresses being held in place perfectly with his Medusa emblazoned safety pins. I don't think I've ever seen a spectacle like that before. From that point onward I knew I had to watch out for this man.
I purchased every fashion magazine I could get my hands on, Vogue, Bazaar, Elle, etc..., anything to get a glimpse into the world this great man created. What Gianni understood most is that fashion should be fun. His sense of hedonism, his love of bright, rich color, his appreciation of the strength and sensuality and physicality of women and men came directly out of his southern Italian culture. Essentially his was a baroque sensibility.
What Versace did best , and most recognizably , was to create clothes to cause a sensation in. Sex, glamour, and the power of feeling gorgeous - he visualized those qualities better than anyone.
The Versace name will continue, but I will dreadfully miss the life enhancing spirit of the clothes that felt as though they did make the man.
Gianni Versace's final Couture Show
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