Versus
REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
MILAN, February 28, 2010
By Sarah Mower
"He doesn't stop thinking and innovating," said Donatella Versace, benevolently waving a Marlboro in the direction of Christopher Kane. "He respects women and loves working with them. Look at him." Backstage before the Versus presentation at the Versace Teatro, her protégé was putting models in his stiffly pleated, bouncy organza-petticoated, peacock blue, plum, red, navy, and black satin dance dresses, and delightedly describing the frocks as "like cupcakes! I can't believe how well they turned out. The sampling they do here is amazing."In season number two of its comeback, the Versace junior line is revving up to become a fully fledged collection. Kane and Versace conspired first to pick out some archived Bruce Weber for Versace tinted photos and secured the photographer's permission to use them on T-shirts and bags. Then Kane took the background coloration of Weber's artwork as a cue to make tonally matching looks with printed "lunch box" bags.
Marching on high laced-up velvet boots with sandaled feet, the girls, as Kane put it, looked "like little toy soldiers." Mostly, the emphasis is on young partywear, though Kane's keen to point out there are elements that are (just a shade) more casual. As he showed off the approachable young simplicity of a circle skirt—worn with a T-shirt, fluffy angora cardigan, and a pair of lace-up biker boots with silver metal-grille toe caps—his boss threw a sidelong glance and flinched congenially at the sight of the flat heels, and sighed, "Oh, don't show me them again."
Theirs is a playful creative tension that contains so many points of total agreement that it should set Versace cash registers ka-ching-ing. A case in point: the full-on black leather tailored biker jacket, with geometric indentations decorating the lapels, paired with a fiercely flirty "cupcake" skirt. The geometrics and the silhouette fully honor the heyday of Gianni Versace while also reiterating the black leather Kane presciently put in his own collection. Now that others are also sending leather-clad power women onto their runways this season, that potentially propels Versus to the forefront of the fashion conversation.
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Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
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3.1 Phillip Lim -
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D&G Davidelfin Dennis Basso Derek Lam Devi Kroell Diane von Furstenberg Diesel Black Gold DKNY Dolce & Gabbana Donna Karan Doo.Ri Douglas Hannant Dries Van Noten Dsquared² Duro Olowu -
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Elie Saab Elie Tahari Elise Øverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Erin Wasson x RVCA Etro -
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Fashion East Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio -
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Gabriele Colangelo Gap Gareth Pugh Gary Graham Generra Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Armour G-Star Gucci -
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Haider Ackermann Halston Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria Holly Fulton House of Holland -
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Iceberg Isaac Mizrahi Isabel Marant Issa Issey Miyake -
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Karen Walker Karl Lagerfeld Kenzo Kimberly Ovitz Kinder Aggugini Koi Suwannagate -
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L.A.M.B. L'Wren Scott Lacoste Lanvin Lela Rose Limi Feu Loewe Louise Goldin Louise Gray Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luisa Beccaria Lutz & Patmos Lyn Devon -
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Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Nathan Jenden Neil Barrett Nicolas Andreas Taralis Nicole Farhi Nicole Miller Nina Ricci No. 21 -
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Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Osman -
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Paris 68 Paul Smith Pedro Lourenço Peter Jensen Peter Pilotto Peter Som Philosophy Pollini Ports 1961 PPQ Prabal Gurung Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
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Sacai Salvatore Ferragamo Sharon Wauchob Shipley & Halmos Sonia Rykiel Sophia Kokosalaki Sophie Theallet Stærk Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows Suno Sykes -
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Undercover United Bamboo -
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Valentino Vanessa Bruno Vena Cava Vera Wang Véronique Leroy Versace Versus Victoria Beckham Viktor & Rolf Vionnet Vivienne Tam Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood Red Label VPL -
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Wayne William Rast Wunderkind -
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Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
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Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo
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