I’ve had some time to sit with Dario Vitale’s debut at Versace, and while I can’t say I liked it, I also don’t think it was the outright disaster of the season. That said, the opening look may well contend for worst look of the season.
There are flashes of sexiness in the leathers and textural play, but his dive into Gianni’s archive leaned far too literally on the 1980s. Instead of feeling revitalized, the references often read as dusty. What once felt cool, now feels like a period costume of a Gianni south beach photoshoot.
The “sex” of Versace was always heightened but it still had one foot in reality. Here, the styling shortcuts, a shift dress left open to expose briefs, or trousers unzipped just enough to reveal the waistband, come off as baseline kinky and obvious, but not actually erotic. They’re not rooted in lived sensuality, more in surface gimmick.
Donatella’s own definition of sexiness has been out of step for years now. Vitale hasn’t managed to bridge that gap either but I do think it could be a step in the right direction but where he completely missed was the elevation and luxury. Versace had never looked so cheap and fast fashion. This needs to look less bushwick, lower east side and more worldly.
Also the casting was incoherent, stripping away any cohesive fantasy the clothes might have been able to project. Does he have any muses outside of white twinks?
