Donatella Versace looks to the Far West’s orizons with the new Resort 2020 collection. The brand is not new to western inspirations: in 1992 the legendary founder of the fashion house, Gianni Versace, launched an Autumn/Winter collection that recalled the atmosphere of Sergio Leone’s movies contaminating them with BDSM suggestions. It was one of the most iconic collections sent on the catwalk by Gianni and already contained the concept, also present in Resort 2020, of the myth of the cowboy updated and reconstructed from a European perspective. With the Resort Collection, Donatella rethinks that same myth but in the light of today’s culture, transforming the frontier of the West into an ideal horizon of inclusivity and renewal.
Abandoning the BDSM vibes, the cowboy and the cowgirl of Versace opt for the cultural eclecticism and the usual opulence that distinguishes the brand, without giving up the pop hints and its sensual spirit. The fine materials, such as printed silks, are combined with the usual baroque and animalier motifs, leather inserts and above all the metal elements, traditional marks of the Versace identity, declined here in the form of buckles, badges, brooches, medallions with the head of Medusa and studs in the shape of acanto leaves for the Virtus bags, a nod to the brand’s revisited classicism.
Amber, sand, green, red and pink dominate the color palette, a reference to the desert and the world of rodeo. In the Women’s Collection, puff sleeves and long dresses decorated with archival prints are paired with the pillowcases of coats with asymmetrical lapels and hems inspired by the structure of frayed ponchos. The shape of the feminine silhouette becomes aggressive, the shoulder’s countour is exaggerated, the trousers are vaped while sleeves, collars and the inserts of skirts are decorated with prints.
For the Men’s Collection, the cowboy myth meets that of the motorcyclist. The biker’s historic jacket takes on country nuances. Western accessories, such as bolo ties and belts, are adorned with the head of Medusa. The Versace logo is reworked and inserted in pinsuits, under the belts of trench coats and hidden in collars and lapels. Parallel to this mood is the street element suggested by the presence of the Squalo sneakers, hoodies and short-sleeve shirts where the Biggie print is featured.
The trait d’union of the Women’s Collection and the Men’s Collection is the original signature of Gianni Versace, introduced for the first time, and declined in numerous variants: embroidered variants, printed or decorated with Swaroski crystals on the pockets of jeans, on the collars of shirts and tye-dye denim garments. The vintage logo also returns in cocktail and evening dresses for the Woman. The motif is also proposed for the men’s wardrobe and uses as much in tailored suits as in informal dresses.
With its proposals, Versace contributes to the Western-themed trend that has dominated much of this year. A year that was marked by the explosive debut of Lil Nas X with the record-breaking hit Old Town Roadthat became ubiquituous in the pop culture, hybridizing the two most popular musical genres in America (rap and country) and relaunching in every area of Pop Culture the iconography of the cowboy. Lil Nas X’s song was the high point in a series of cultural phenomena that brought the western genre back to life, first of all Tarantino’s Django Unchainedand The Hateful Eight, as well as thevideogame Red Dead Redemption 2 and tv shows such as Westworld, Godless and Deadwood.
VIA: NSS Lorenzo Salamone
