Donatella Versace pivoted resort on a slender, tailored silhouette in a rich burgundy color—a rather unexpected choice considering the house’s codes. But Donatella likes to disrupt, and has a young audience on her mind hungry for newness. Men’s tailoring at Versace has a long history since the Gianni era; the famous 1995 Herb Ritts book Men Without Ties (now impossible to find) traces the designer’s take on masculine fashion—provocative, uncompromising, and controversial. Although Donatella has carried the torch of her brother’s legacy with her fierce interpretation, here she went more nuanced, subtler, and lighter. “Sober” runs contrary to the Versace way, yet a certain equilibrium between exuberance and sobriety seemed what DV was after.
Fitted and strict, the suit of the season leaned on the sartorial, interspersed with workwear and sporty elements lightening its rigorous construction. Pops of color—peridot, lime, and bright lipstick red—further introduced an uplifting vibe; the heritage Gallery motifs were reworked and printed on silk twill quilted boxy overshirts or on jacquard blousons. Always partial to hotness, Donatella went sheer with fitted shirts in see-through devoré, printed in a punch of fun micro florals, strawberries, and ladybugs. It wouldn’t be Versace without some sexy clash.