MILAN, Jun 22, 2009 / FW/ — Maybe it’s because Hugh Laurie, the British actor who plays the lead role in the very popular medical drama House wears a 5 o’clock shadow of a beard that Donatella decided to open her Spring 2010 menswear collection with a model sporting that sexy facial hair.
Wearing an all white suit wherein the jacket’s closures are mini belts on D-rings and the under shirt is a kurta, the model looked ready for anything, and I mean anything, i.e. going to a party or going to work!
But, before you say that the look will raise eyebrows in the conservative enclaves of Wall Street, we better ask ourselves, is this look meant for the western world or is Donatella focusing in the Far East, specifically India, one of the newest luxury markets in Asia.
As everyone already knows, there had been changes on the top management of Versace earlier this month. Gian Giacomo Ferraris, who most recently served as CEO of Jil Sander Group has replaced Giancarlo Di Risio who resigned during the first week of June.
When changes as high as this level happen, a company’s path would surely be altered or at least modified. But, Versace, is a family corporation at heart; it is also a fashion house centered on the designer, the traditional makeup of a maison. In short, Donatella is at the helm and her hands are steady as she forges ahead in choppy waters.
And, on her first outing with Gian Giacomo Ferraris, she brought him and together with the audience to the desert. Whites, beige, caramel, khaki – the colors of sand dominated even when mixed with the eye catching gray.
Suit jackets are a must, worn over kurtas or shirts, the men are tieless; thus Gianni Versace’s ‘Men without ties’ are back! The spirit of Miami Vice’s Sonny Crockett, whose looks were courtesy of the late Gianni Versace, is also there; but the reference is so subtle that it is almost non-existent.
Coherent and bold, the strongest statement of the collection is the double breasted suit with the military inspired closures.
[MARI DAVIS]
