Versace men's spring/summer 2020: putting a match to traditional modes of dressing
Pink crab apple blossom rustles in the early evening breeze, the catwalk is rose-tinted and frou frou poufs fill the elegant courtyard of Palazzo Versace. The only improvement on this vision of Italianate-chic-meets-Barbara-Cartland campery could be a coral-hued Campari Spritz in one's hand.
But suddenly the first few disconcerting shrieks of The Prodigy’s Firestarter strikes up - and the genteel atmosphere is broken.
Versace paying homage to Keith Flint? The curious marriage isn’t as incongruous as it first seems; The Prodigy front man played at shows during Gianni Versace’s reign at the house in the 90s, and Donatella stayed friends with the star until his death earlier this year.
And as a mark of respect for his rebellious non conformism, she created a collection that brought a touch of British anarchy to the Italian glamour of the house.
There was leather punctuated with rivets, and a strong dose of 90s nostalgia in the form of stonewashed denim, plaids and Glasto-ready tie-dye.
The areas of this collection that nodded to Flint and that decade’s hellraiser is territory that’s well charted for Versace - the punk accents and hard, black leathers - but there was a roughness to it that ensured it was an authentic tribute. This was Versace-man-in-mosh-pit as opposed to in the Martini bar.
But a bit of gloss and glamour are never far from the surface with Versace, and away from the British anarchy there was a very Italian take on 'dress up', with crystal shirts in the house’s baroque Medusa iconography, printed variants in acid house brights and suits patterned with sparkling Roman urns.
There was a marked shift in the tailoring; the large-format, boxy jackets and blousy trousers that harked back to the 90s block of suiting created by Gianni Versace have been shrunken into leaner, slicker proportions, more dynamic and athletic in the cut and pace.
The form-fitting style added a sexy element; not something that plays much of a role these days in the crafting of a structured suit, making it all the more welcome.
The venerable Mrs V said that the collection, like those in the past, was about a broader spectrum of man, at a time when notions of masculinity are shifting dramatically.
The counter-message involved a car emblem, printed on shirts, appearing to signify that the moment a boy becomes a man is when he gets his first car; isolated in that context it can seem simplistic, but there was enough diversity in this season’s Versace man to offer variety.
He might not be a rabble rouser - he might be happier in pristine Prince of Wales check tailoring than he is in clashing leopard print and anarchic leather, but Donatella Versace’s inclusive approach means she’s got him covered.
Sign up for the Telegraph Luxury newsletter for your weekly dose of exquisite taste and expert opinion.
