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Versace: Donatella Rocks On with Bad-Girl Baroque
By: Godfrey Deeny
Photos by Gruber-FWD
Paris, Jul 10, 2002/ FWD/ --- "Prince & Madame de Pompadour, Boudoir & Rock 'n' Roll,
Versailles' Chicks, Chic & Glitz," were just some of the buzzwords used on the program to
describe Monday's Atelier Versace collection, and for once the liner writer did a very good job.
There wasn't a lot of innovation in cut, silhouette and color in today's show, but as an
exercise in high-octane sexy dressing, this collection packed plenty of oomph.
In short, Donatella Versace created something, well, very Versace.
The razzmatazz was especially powerful in the Theatre National de Chaillot, where
Donatella stages her couture collections: Puff Daddy, like a crisply attired Mafia don,
taking his front row seat with a flourish, flanked by Elizabeth Hurley and Rupert Everett.
A squadron of trustafarians packed the head of the runway -- Jennifer Creed, Marjorie
Gubelmann, the Hilton sisters and novelist Danielle Steel's daughters.
Powered by an excellent soundtrack of churning funk and novel sampling by Junior Vasquez,
the show opened with an exceptional patchwork brocade frock coat.
Donatella's first looks harked back to recent seasons with loads of trim coatdresses
in panels of cashmere, snakeskin and chinoiserie.
Things got pretty steamy with a series of negligee robes, cut way up the thigh, or swinging
low to the pink twisting catwalk.
Not all of them worked, however, and the silver bauble worn by Jacquetta Wheeler really
should have been edited out, but this is a small quibble to make about an assured, punchy
collection that was not for the faint of heart (or large of thigh).
The show peaked beautifully with a pair of delightful embroidered corsets, cut to
perfection and sinfully sexy.
Remember that scene in "Barry Lyndon," when the protagonist seeks solace after his young
son's death in a gentleman's club featuring gorgeous ladies of with somewhat impaired virtue?
Well, these outfits would have been just ideal.
Donatella entitled this collection "RocKoco."
Make that bad-girl baroque.
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