“I can barely stand, I’m shaking so badly.” - These were Donatella Versace’s words backstage at her first Versace show - moments after Giorgio Armani hugged her and kissed her wet cheeks as she cried.
This season, in which we witnessed 15 designer debuts, I want to remember the day when a new chapter of Versace began. Donatella’s words perfectly capture her emotions during her first show. Just three months after losing her brother, she found the courage and strength to step onto that stage and continue Gianni’s legacy.
In my opinion, that moment remains one of the most emotional in fashion history. Imagine Karl Lagerfeld, Miuccia Prada, Donna Karan, Narciso Rodriguez, Antonio Berardi, Angela Missoni, Mariuccia Mandelli, and Gianni’s longtime “rival” Giorgio Armani - all gathered in the front row, united to support Donatella.
The show began with applause - not just polite applause, but the kind that carries love, grief, and respect. Then the room fell silent as laser lights spelled out one word at a time: “This show is dedicated to our brother Gianni’s love of work, and to our entire staff, whose incredible love and devotion was so precious to our brother and means so much to us. We thank each and every one of them.” And then, the show was opened by
@naomi and Kate Moss, followed by all of Gianni’s muses. I’ve always been obsessed with the fact that during her debut, Donatella also introduced her vision for menswear.
Before the show, in an interview filled with tears, Donatella had spoken about her last conversation with Gianni - how he was fixated on finding a way to make Prince of Wales menswear fabrics sexy. That small detail, that creative obsession, lived through her designs that night.
The soundtrack was Madonna’s "Candy Perfume Girl" - from her still-unreleased album. And then came the finale: Donatella walking out to a standing ovation with her eyes full of tears. That day, fashion critic Amy M. Spindler said “Donatella is a survivor. And the house will be, too.” She was right - and the next three decades are living proof of that.
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