Versace revisits the ’90s for inspiration for FW ’19. Gianni-print sportswear turns into a heavily streetwear-focused line highlighted by bright hues. Suits with safety pins, open-backed black silk jackets, and printed T-shirts reigned the runway alongside a cast of It-girl models Kaia Gerber, Bella Hadid, and Emily Ratajkowski. Keeping up with Versace tradition, the girls wore plenty of tight, short black tailoring, lace and showstopping prints.
Images: Paolo Simi.
Versace puts the planet first with the opening of their new store. With the highest level of sustainability in mind, the luxury fashion brand launched their new Versace Bal Harbour boutique in Miami and now plan to expand the initiative internationally. “There’s no bigger luxury than our future. The new Versace concept is a commitment towards Versace’s sustainable legacy,” said Donatella Versace, chief designer of the label and general icon, in a statement.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Versace without utter and total opulence — a floating-effect brass ceiling and a hand-crafted floor mosaic dominate the store’s interior, but the new location pays special attention to the wellbeing of both people and the environment. The store is designed with various sustainable materials and maintains energy efficiency by using climate control equipment. With their new approach, the Italian designer reached LEED Gold-level for interior design and construction, a globally recognized certification program of the US Green Building Council.
The Versace Bal Harbour store is open now at 9700 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33154.
Images: Versace.
Image: Givenchy.
Givenchy Creative Director Riccardo Tisci revealed on Instagram that his close friend and “ultimate icon,” Donatella Versace, would star in the French fashion house’s Fall/Winter 2015 campaign. Previewed by an image shot by Mert and Marcus, photographers for the full campaign, Tisci is seen with Versace ear-to-ear. As the designer signs off, more is certainly to come soon.
It was a big night for badgalriri as she broke into her many, many Christmas presents a few weeks shy of Santa’s arrival (in actuality, she might still be opening up to and through the 25th, so this could have been right on schedule). Rihanna, no stranger to Instagram, took this as a night to share her appreciation with the masses, and gave us a peak at the goods. Self-indulgent, sure, but she’s Rihanna, so we’re not complaining. From Prada to Miu Miu to a Versace handbag and custom McQueen creations–not to mention an unwrapping break to devour some toast–Rihanna won the night, easy:
Images courtesy of Instagram.
While red carpet season is usually met with a large groan from those who know better in the fashion community—also, whoever first came up with the idea of gathering all the celebrities in one city and putting them in ill-fitting couture is just mentally unsound—yesterday’s British Fashion Awards proved otherwise. Maybe we’re progressing as a society, or possibly (probably) the English just have better taste. Here are our favorite men’s looks from the award ceremony:
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Images by Mike Marsland courtesy of the British Fashion Awards.
Duckie Brown’s Spring 2013 collection was first, punk rock and second, angelic. Actually, their creations were just how we imagine Johnny Ramone might dress up in heaven. Tough guy tartan, leather and denim were formulated with Duckie Brown’s signature ephemeral, fantastical and über-loose and/or hyper-tight men’s silhouettes. There were smile-inducing over the top looks—like a backless Harrington jacket and gigantic flower-breasted jacket—stuff you might have a hard time finding a place to wear, but their inventiveness also translated beautifully into things those of you who love to take (realistic) risks in your wardrobe can outright covet. Especially in the form of outerwear. Duckie Brown make some heavenly jackets, here, you’ll adore the denim trucker, red hidalgo baseball jacket, oversized Camel motorcycle jacket, and the slick black fitted motorcycle jacket.
Before the show, we had the chance to sit down with the guys/design angels. Their mind frame going in to the show was upbeat-chill and we learned some very interesting things. Donatella Versace and Steven Cox share 2 maybe, and 1 definite thing in common, Daniel Silver and Steven Cox often have very different ideas about what they’re doing, and they don’t actually think anyone should wear that gigantic black flower we formerly spoke of. On Earth at least.
left to right: Daniel Silver, Matt Bell, Steven Cox
Essential Homme: So guys—how was your summer?
Steven Cox: Well, I don’t want to work in August ever again! (Laughs) We try to go away as much as possible so this year we went to Mexico City and a to little beach town on the Pacific, Puerto Escondito, all the way down in Oaxaca.
Daniel Silver: Good sea food and Steven learned to surf! Then we were in Toronto and up by the lakes. A Friend has a cottage there and then we went to Shelter Island.
EH: Were you guys inspired by any of these places? What were you thinking about when you made the collection?
SC: I saw this YouTube thing the other day and it was really interesting. I never felt that I would ever have anything to do with Donatella Versace…except my looks (laughs) and my wig (laughs). I think the inspiration thing is old fashioned. Anyway, Donatella’s in the back of her limo going to one of her shows or something and she had a camera folioing her, some kinda reality thing, and someone asked her what she hated the most. She said the thing she hated the most is the question of—what’s your inspiration—She said that it was too impossible to answer. Ok, inspirations work for some designers, like Michael Kors who has that one inspiration of the woman, the jet setter, and that’s really, really solid and it works for him. For me, there’s no one thing I can tell you. It changes and evolves every day. Why did I do this collection, I really have no idea. Why did I choose this hard-edged, rough, collection with boys that are looking hard but they’re not hard at all because the clothes can be women….
DS: I don’t think that’s true though. I think there’s a lot of the collection that’s hard and its leather and denim and it kind of flips to a softer more feminine side because that’s us. You’ve got both.
SC: We like the tension.
DS: And we often don’t agree.
SC: Like what he’ll say about the inspiration I just don’t think is true. If I really paired it down to one thing, This inspiration came from two words Tim Blanks (from style.com) said to me backstage last season that I won’t repeat because its just isn’t right.
DS: …and they weren’t fuck you. But the two words he did was were the jumping off point.
SC: So the inspiration—two words from Tim Blanks.
DS: But its always a continuation of where we left off. It is a feeling and how do you describe a feeling.
EH: Guys have been more willing to take risks in their wardrobe recently, something you’ve been doing on the runway for the past 11 years. What is it about now you think is causing that?
DS: I think men are more open. I think it’s the reality shows and blogs and stuff. Men are getting that there’s a word out there called fashion and the game has shifted and is changing, the rules need not necessarily apply. And so I think men are more willing to take more risks but I think Europe is much more interesting in what they are doing. In the US it’s business as usual. That’s my feeling
SC: I dunno. I think if you go back in history men were elaborate and would wear crazy clothes. I think it’s gone the other way and men are ending up all looking the same and there’s this thing of you don’t want to look like a peacock or stand out.
DS: No, I think that was the ’50s. In the ’12s you can wear a colored brogue.
SC: But they always talk about sales. When we get written about in the US, the press always has written in the form of, ‘Is it wearable?’
DS: Wearable is code for sellable and that’s all that’s important anymore.
SC: When I was a student in England it was all about doing something that’s never been seen before—which is impossible. And I don’t reinvent the wheel. I never have. For me a fashion show is about the fantasy self. I would never wear the floral jacket that we’re showing on the runway. Why am I showing it? I don’t know. Because it’s fashion if it’s interesting. I think I’ve always wanted to be a fine artist and this is the closest I can get, commercially, to doing that. Maybe I’m a failed artist and that’s why I do fashion. I just want to show something interesting. But now we’ve got Perry Ellis. Any man can wear what we’ll show in Perry Ellis but not every man can wear what we show at Duckie Brown.
DS: Perry Ellis has also had a great influence on Ducky Brown, obviously it’s for a wider market. Yes, it’s fashion and it’s interesting but we’re trying to reach a wider audience with that. Having done Perry Ellis by Duckie Brown, which was more straight up if you will, gave us more freedom to do Duckie Brown.
SC: Well, I’ll always look at the collection and think I could have done more, I could have done more, I shouldn’t have held back, so it’s like, it was very interesting to do both at the same time. Sometimes I feel like I have to get my commercialness out in Duckie Brown, but this time I didn’t have to. We have an equation. Like zero is a navy cashmere v neck sweater. A minus one is a pink one, a minus 2 is a pink floral. It’s all an equation. We try to balance it all out to zero.
EH: First it was Florsheim, now Perry Ellis. What other collaborations are you itching to do?
DS: We want to do men’s channel. Fred Perry, Adidas. And did I say Chanel Mens.
SC: I’d like to do something in Europe. Back in London or France or Italy. I’ve got more than I’ve ever wanted. I still can’t believe I’m showing in NY fashion week its a dream come true. To think that i was a 19 year old in liverpool and I’m doing a brand like Perry Ellis. On that note, I’d love to do something British like Dunhill.
DS: I don’t wanna live in London! It’s hard to get around. GIve me Milano give me paris….
EH: Describe the collection in three words.
DS: Tough, Street and Leather
SC: Not street!
DS: Well, they’re my 3 words
SC: I’d say aggressive, beautiful, sophisticated
DS: Sophisticated? That is ridiculous. It is not sophisticated!
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Be advised that clamorous squeals of delight may ensue upon viewing Versace’s latest creations that so generously meld grandiose glamour with utmost masculine virility. How could you keep quiet as inexplicably handsome models don florescent floral-military print jumpsuits, Swarovski crystal encrusted denim, full electric red suiting and cropped jackets with all manner of neon shearling collars (which are detachable and interchangeable)? In a season that has mostly spoken to our dark times in similarly moody tones, Versace’s instinct is to pop the cork and pour a glass of champagne. To that, we say “Cheers!”
