PARIS, July 8, 2003/ FW/ --- A faint breeze was stirring on Place Vendôme in Paris yesterday evening. It was one of those strange summer nights when the stillness that follows the setting of the sun brings with it a certain melancholy.

Inside the Ritz, votive candles burned atop a shrine of fresh orange rose petals tipped in pink.

While vintage champagne was served in crystal flutes, a German editor grew contemplative. "I met Gianni once, you know. Back when they opened the first boutique in Paris. He was the kindest and most gracious person, so approachable."

Then the magical doors opened to the presentation of the House of Versace Couture line for Fall /Winter 2003-04.

In a very real sense, the label has never completely recovered from the tragic murder of its founder six years ago next week. Recently, Santos announced that a consultant was being commissioned to develop a new economic strategy to address the current difficulties, while Donatella emphatically stated that the House of Versace was not for sale.

But, for anybody with a keen eye, something subtle has happened over the course of the last year. In both Versace, Versus and the Atelier line, there is a new lightness, an old elegance that go directly to the heart of Gianni's work.

Tonight, exquisite pieces were displayed on mannequins - a marvelous way to get up close and to notice the intricate details, as in a golden silk day dress embroidered with Chinese figurines, or a faint peach evening gown inlaid with shimmering golden sequins.

A sea foam green gown was frothing with what looked to be Ostrich plumes, but that piece caught the eye of André Leon Talley. In the foyer, he was nibbling from a silver tray full of luscious canapés, trying to decide between slivers of shrimp floating on a layer of crème fraîche, or strands of proscuitto atop a horseradish sauce. Still, the consummate fashion critic found time to dispense advice to a lady "Honey, my favorite was that beautiful dress that looks like Ostrich feathers, but then look up close and you'll see it's really constructed of mink slivers. That is just so cool, and you can wear it anywhere, anytime."

Standing beside a dusty-blue mousseline gown with a skirt mounded of layers of whipped cream-like pleats, Ivana Trump also became talkative. "I loved Dior earlier today, but that is really more costumes for a big show, while this you can actually wear."

Donatella looked in fine from, her silhouette resembling the models who wear her designs. Trailed by two alert security guards, she stopped to speak. When told that the collection really looked like Gianni, she burst into giggles. "I hope it wasn't that masculine really!" Then smiling, she added "Thank you for that compliment."

Guests this evening were presented with a sumptuous white silk-bound book of sketches, each capturing the Atelier line to perfection. Yet a far greater gift is the donation Versace makes in the name of each press publication each Christmas to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. After all, the gift of life, is really the greatest gift of all.

In 1997, the Internet was a young genie just out of the bottle, but one of the first posts on the tragic day of July 15 came from another Italian designer named Valentino:

"Just the other day, I bumped into Gianni in front of the Ritz in Paris. He was laughing, enjoying life and the beautiful things that surrounded him and that were a part of him -- an eclectic mix that created the Versace style that will not be easily forgotten."

And indeed, Gianni's style has not been forgotten.

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