Versace vocabulary: On his 20th death anniversary,we decode the Gianni gene…
Last week marked the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace’s death (he was shot dead on 15 July 1997, aged 50, on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion as he returned from a morning walk on Ocean Drive) and Instagram was inundated with emotional outpouring of tributes from ‘90s supermodels, editors, photographers to the cultishly-devoted Italian label’s muses. Born in the humble Reggio di Calabria in Southern Italy, the self-made designer jolted the fashion world out of its bourgeois complacency with his sartorial wizardry — think pomp and provocation, incendiarily sexy cuts and baroque prints beaming with individuality.
His Fall 1991 show had Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington sashaying down the runway and lip-syncing to George Michael’s Freedom! — remains the most epochal
moment in the fashion history. What is it about the Versace look which makes it so relevant even today — its influence seen in the works of designers like Anthony Vaccarello, Fausto Puglisi and Hedi Slimane? With Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story series about his assassination debuting early next year, After Hrs traces back the alluring universe of Versace…
Anaita Shroff Adajania, Fashion Director, Vogue India recalls the bondage inspiration, Liz Hurley’s safety-pin dress and march-of-fashion …read more