Atelier Versace FW 1997’: a thread

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the death of Gianni Versace, one of my favourite designers ever. Therefore, I decided to analyse his last runway show.

Months before the show, Gianni attended "The Glory of Byzantium" exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His friends were charmed by it. Versace only spoke one word: "Nice ".

He meant that he would have shown to them what Byzantine art was really like. He took them to Ravenna. His friends marvelled in front of the basilica of Sant'Apollinare and San Vitale, the mausoleum of Galla Placidia.

The contrast and fusion of gold with other colours is what influenced the designer, who fond them absolutely in line with what he needed to display in his following collection.

Since 1989, Versace used to present his Atelier shows during the Parisian haute couture week. Versace's Atelier shows were more reserved than his ready-to-wear seasons, that used to make the news.

However, at his first atelier collection, taking place in a suite of a hotel, Gianni exhibited only 14 outfits ending by selling 52.

He started showing in 1990 at the swimming pool of the Hôtel Ritz in Paris. It was an ideal location since the pool's construction was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman baths, linked to Versace's aesthetic.

Gianni Versace at the Hotel Ritz Paris (1990) Photography Guy Marineau

The location’s main colours were dark blue and gold, as the key shades of the collection.

Versace challenged the conventional notions of beauty and luxury within his known aesthetic of mixing ancient art and fashion.

It was a marvellous collection, addressing both the aesthetic appeals of current fashions with shoulder pads, even experimenting their use in dresses, and the cultural and artistic features displayed through his designs.

The collection included cross-embellished clothes and beautifully draped looks, some in metal mesh that recalled medieval art or mosaics.

Black was the predominant colour, appearing in 53 of the 83 looks. Religious belief and cristian symbols were highlights of the show, harmonising with oversized jewelled crosses.

A controversial outfit evoked a nun's dress.

It's a ritual that couture shows end with a bride. The role was assigned to Naomi Campbell wearing a mesh with rhinestone gown wedding dress.

The theme of the dress was launched as a warrior bride, supporting a vision of fashion that was audacious, a bit disrespectful and unapologetic.

“A bride, in a silver dress, with a veil pulled back behind her head, not covering her face. Not a virgin bride, a Versace bride. She will be a woman who's loved many men before. A woman who's finally found her equal, a match for her passions. 1/2

She won't be dainty, she won't be timid. She will be proud and strong. And that's how I will end my show.”
-Gianni Versace 2/2

Today, this collection reflects on which directions the designer would have taken if he was still alive.

Nine days later, on the morning of 15 July, Versace was murdered by Andrew Cunanan on the steps of his Miami mansion, Casa Casuarina.

About a year before presenting this collection, when asked what his contribution to fashion was, Versace answered "an attitude of freedom. But I feel I have a long way to go." Nobody could have thought his life would have been cut so cruelly brief.