∂OnatElla vE®SaCE The fluid lines and linear neon prints that characterise Donatella Versace’s menswear collection this season, make it the designer’s most confident for the house to date. Another Man: Your current collection represents quite a departure. Donatella Versace: Yes, I wanted to relax things, to create a collection that men would feel genuinely comfortable wearing, one that was modern and sophisticated, while still being glamorous. Fluidity was at the core of the look, and I suppose this is not a quality you might readily associate with Versace menswear. Also, I am influenced by how I like to see men, what I find attractive – what is attractive in a man. AM: After the show you said, ‘No more 80s.’ What did you mean? DV: When I inherited this job it was under very difficult circumstances – my brother had suffered a horrible and tragic death, and I was thrust into the spotlight. Since then, I’ve been learning on the job, and for many years I felt I had to live up to my brother’s achievement. In fact, I realise now that I was really paying homage to him in my designs, and inevitably, because Gianni was so associated with the dramatic and bold designs he created during the 80s, I found that look ever-present in my collections. Today, I feel that I have finally arrived at a place in my work where I can be myself, and put out my own interpretation of the Versace aesthetic. I have come to realise that the best tribute I can pay my brother is to move things forward and keep the brand contemporary and relevant. In purely fashion terms, ‘No more 80s’ means creating a more fluid silhouette, with a more muted and balanced colour palette, less ostentatious prints, and more subtle detailing. AM: And ‘Mind over muscle’? DV: The phrase was a shortcut, a way of announcing that I’m interested in dressing men who can boast more than a gym membership. The Versace aesthetic has always referenced the Greek ideal of masculinity, the works of antiquity form part of the Versace mix, as do Pop Art, Mediterranean culture, flora and fauna, and many other disparate elements. The Greek ideal is one of perfectly honed athleticism, and while this is certainly attractive – and I speak for all women here, not just Italian women – it is also somewhat unrealistic, and perhaps imbalanced. So this time, I decided to find a silhouette that could maintain the appearance of structure (the Versace broad shoulder), while actually delivering something softer for the wearer. The solution came through the use of lightweight fabrics, which are also extremely strong, allowing you to sculpt with a less stiff result. Maybe the new Versace man is now an athlete and philosopher? That’s certainly an ideal I’d sign up to. AM: The prints in the show were inspired by Dan Flavin. DV: Yes indeed, I took my cue for the graphics in the collection from his work with neon lighting. What struck me is that the patterns he makes with his light sculptures are quite unique, and don’t really correspond to anything we normally associate with printed fabrics. That’s why I was drawn to reference his work in the collection. I wanted to include prints (which have always been a signature of Versace), but find a way of doing so that would be linear and modern, rather than ornate and classical. Dan’s work has a mysterious quality that I find intriguing, and in the chromatic gradations of neon, I found a wonderful colour palette for the season. AM: The house of Versace has a long-standing relationship with fine art. Why is art important and what is its relevance to fashion? DV: It would perhaps be more accurate to say that the house of Versace has had a long love affair with the arts in general – be it classical architecture or modern painting, or the decorative arts, opera and ballet. And of course, in the field of photography, we have collaborated with some of the world’s finest artists including Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Helmut Newton. In everything from Versace, you’ll find all manner of references to the arts, mixed, juxtaposed, combined and reinterpreted to produce something new. Classical Greek motifs sit side-by-side with references to modern artists, high culture sits next to pop culture: that is what Versace is all about, a magpie approach to fashion and design, filtered through the Versace lens. My brother was a collector of fine art, and that is a tradition I have continued. For Versace, fashion needs inspiration from beyond the world of fashion, which can be very narrow and claustrophobic. AM: Dan Flavin is always described as a minimal artist. Did you also, then, have minimalism in mind? DV: I will never be a minimalist, but I think fashion has now been so overexposed that it has turned to a degree of special detailing that is not so obvious. No, I don’t think I could ever be a minimalist, I am too emotional and dramatic. AM: In art, minimalism is a specific movement, but what does it mean as a term when applied to fashion? DV: It is often used to describe work that is plain and simple and monochromatic. With Versace, it is not difficult to be labelled ‘minimalist’ as a relative term when you look at the history of the design that has come from this studio. Anything that is not covered in gold Medusa heads and Miami beach palm prints might be interpreted as a move towards minimalism. In truth, I was really trying to be elegant and modern, rather than minimal. I think my choice of fabrics and colours is still too opulent to really warrant that label. AM: The aesthetic was also quite sportswear based. Why now? DV: I wasn’t really conscious of designing the collection as sportswear, but in my search for a modern relaxed silhouette, I turned to performance fabrics that could deliver both a lightweight feel as well as having the strength to hold a tailored shape. One ultra-light fabric has a new steel ‘core’ technique that allows it to hang perfectly, while having a natural and worn look. I think for designers, one way in which things have really changed since my brother’s day, is in the technology employed in fabric production. Today, we have such an amazing variety of fabrics at our disposal, and so it is possible to create collections that one simply could not have dreamt of 10 or 20 years ago. If the result looked sporty, well so be it, but at heart, the look still has its roots in the tailoring tradition of southern Italy, which is where my family comes from. AM: Do you think maybe it isn’t modern to wear overly structured and body conscious clothing right now? DV: Clothes are still structured and body conscious, but not in a stiff way. Certainly, there has been a return to smart tailoring for men over the past few years, and so more and more designers have been producing silhouettes with structured shoulders and tailored waists. But unlike the huge padded shoulder line of the 80s, the newer style has more in common with the neat and elegant form of traditional Savile Row or Roman tailoring. In this collection, I combined this upperbody structure with a more fluid treatment around the chest and below, to create a modern shape that is both formal and informal at the same time. To reinforce this impression, I styled these suits in soft linen in simple colours with open collars. AM: When you are designing for women, do you have yourself in mind? Is it very different designing for a man? DV: You are more limited in menswear in terms of what you can do. A suit is a suit, a jacket is a jacket, and a pair of trousers is a pair of trousers. There are conventions you have to observe, whereas in womenswear you are much more free to interpret garments how you wish – hems can be high or low, fabrics can be pleated, cut-away, teased into ruffles, shapes can be highly fitted or elegantly draped, and you can incorporate all manner of details. The restrictions in menswear are what makes it fascinating – how do you ring the changes on pieces that have been done so many times over the years? How do you stamp character on something as established as a man’s suit? AM: Do you have a certain man in mind when you design? DV: The athlete/philosopher I mentioned before, combined with onepart comedian and one-part best friend. If you find him, let me know. Interview Susannah Frankel Model Johan Ohlstorm Photographic assistant Mel Bles Styling assistant Leeds Production London Birgitta Toyoda Production Miami Select Services AnOtherMan 169