Versace Turns Back The Clock Ahead Of An Uncertain Future
Graphic by Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez
Versace’s Fall/Winter 2025 show provided a great showing of the house's signature motifs. Plentiful were the silk shirts in the famous Baroque and La Greca prints and velvet bodycon dresses reminiscent of the 90s Linda Evangelista street-style photos.
The show, packed with allusions to current creative director Donatella Versace’s late brother and house founder Gianni’s last show in 1997, came at an uncertain time for the Milan-based house.
Amid swirling rumors of Italian fashion House Prada purchasing the house, the visual nostalgia of the show and the collection being almost a “greatest hits” of Versace looks. Yet, this also brought about rumors of a potential departure from creative director Donatella.
However “of the 90s” the collection looked, it demonstrated the eternal fun of Gianni’s designs. Embroidered and sequined denim sets dazzled, in particular the Austin Butler-esque Look 52: a “Canadian tuxedo” with moto boots and black brocade jacket. Combos of asymmetrical mini dresses and oversized blazers harkened back to the famed Versace ad campaigns of the early 90s while maintaining relevance due to the timeless flattery of mixed boxy and sleek proportions.
Oscar-nominee and menswear starlet Colman Domingo, who recently wore Look 5 at the BAFTAs, is just one of the many famous faces associated with the collection. Cillian Murphy, former Versace campaign star, sat next to Anna Wintour in the front row.
Ice Spice also attended in a printed polo and skirt set from the House's Spring/Summer 25 collection. But the star power did not end in the audience with famous “nepo-babies” Romeo Beckham and Lila Moss walking in the show too.
The collection heavily incorporated black velvet and leather, allowing for printed lining and jewel-toned accents to pop off the dark runway. Look 56 did a brilliant job of incorporating colorful accents as pieces of pink, red, and yellow wool were woven into a chunky black sweater over the top of a matching skirt and sleek black leather boots.
The show also shined in monochrome, with all-black looks like Look 46 — a black velvet tank top, black slacks, sporty black glasses, and metal jewelry—which catered to the pared-down styles of Zoë Kravitz or Kate Moss.
Aside from the heavily wearable looks, Versace also took the time to flex technical prowess and attention to detail. The breathtaking chainmail work of Look 66 created an edgy etherealness that took the very grounded collection to a whimsical world in the final few looks. Look 59 also did an immaculate job of creating a softness out of harsh-looking material — in this case, gold wire.
The gravity-defying final look worn by supermodel Mona Tougaard served as a melancholy reminder of the trails Gianni blazed at the helm of the house. Intricate lining showed under the ruffles of the black velvet mini dress, which seemed to represent a moment of lightness frozen in time — perhaps an allegory for the house itself, which was stunned into a beautiful repetition of designs after the tragic assassination of Gianni in 1997.
The black studded gloves Tougaard wore with the dress, in accompaniment of a Donatella-like blowout, seemed to be an embodiment of the perseverance and strength of the house and maybe even a resistance to the rumored acquisition.