Presented January 16 in the covered garden of her Milano palazzo, Donatella Versace’s Men’s Fall/Winter 2012-2013 collection started off conservatively – a dark blue pinstripe suit paired with a baby blue shirt and a silver tie – the golden buttons being the only hint of what was to come.
It didn’t take long before the male models were marching out in denim outfits with large golden studded accents, topped with brightly colored wool collars (which the designer noted are detachable and interchangeable). While the riveting on most of the pieces were simply accents, the golden studs completely covered the cropped denim of one catwalker.
Not one to shy from color, Versace’s men flounced down the runway in denim outfits with bright floral patterns that harkened back to the 1970s, a fire-engine-red tailored suit paired with a bright pink turtleneck. Then, suddenly, the lights dropped and the bling came out: a sheer black shirt with Swarovski crystal accents paired with tuxedo trousers, a leather jacket with studded arms, and a suit jacket completely covered in the aforementioned crystals, set off only with the matte shirt collar and tie.
Army green bomber jackets outfitted with brown beaver fur collars, khaki pants and heavy gold chains rounded out the evening.
Following the men’s fashion show, guests joined Donatella in the apartment, which once housed Gianni Versace on the second floor, of their company headquarters for a customary dinner party. As the last of the 19 Versace-exclusive models sauntered in, a man walked through the crowd announcing that the show was about to start; the models crowded around the television to watch the show in which they’d just appeared. Sitting in their tough rocker coifs, they were transfixed.
“It was a really, really good experience,” said model Tarik Lakehal, a black belt in karate who was discovered in a Paris night club three months prior.
Tough glamour indeed.
