- Donatella Versace, the head of the fashion house Versace has stepped down after almost 30 years
- The 69-year-old has designed some of the most iconic pieces for the brand
- She is the brother of the late Gianni Versace, the fashion house’s founder
Donatella Versace, the creative director of the Versace fashion house has stepped down after 28 years. Versace is an Italian fashion house founded by her brother, Gianni Versace. Sadly he was killed in July 1997 outside his Miami home. Since its founding, Versace has become one of the most classic fashion houses, making appearances at Paris Fashion Week and regularly being worn on the award show red carpets.
Since her brother died in 1997, she has held the position but has stepped down. The BBC reports it is because “Prada Group is interested in buying Versace from the Capri Holdings group”. Her replacement will be Dario Vitale, a former design director who worked for fellow Italian brand Miu Miu. Capri Holdings gave a statement on Versace’s exit and said the 69-year-old will “dedicate herself to the support of Versace’s philanthropic and charitable endeavors and will remain an advocate for the brand globally”.
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The former fashion house’s creative director posted her statement on Instagram and said “the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy”. She also said that “Versace is in her DNA”. Who is cutting onions?
Now after carrying her brother’s legacy for almost thirty years, here is a look back on her most iconic designs for the fashion house.
1. Jennifer Lopez’s forest green Google gown
A dress that will go down in history, Versace’s most iconic design under her 30-year creative direction was the stunning jungle dress. The dress was worn by signer Jennifer Lopez to the 2000 Grammy Awards which she attended with her boyfriend at the time, Diddy. In 2000, the dress was shocking because it showed a lot of cleavage, but it had everyone talking.
It was so iconic that it had everyone talking and searches online for the dress were non-stop. Because of curiosity about the dress, Google Images was created. How much more iconic can you get? Lopez wore the dress again in September 2019 at a Versace fashion show. Alone, the outfit is legendary and shows how Versace redefined fashion with a fun and flowy dress.
2. The white safety pin dress
Similar to Elizabeth Hurley’s 1994 black Versace safety pin dress, Versace designed one for Anne Hathaway. Hathaway wore the stunning dress to the 2023 Met Gala. The dress had safety pins and was made with white tweed. Multiple times the dress made best-dressed lists for the 2023 event, and it remains a gorgeous take on her brother’s similar dress from his 1994 spring/summer collection.
Not only is the dress a sweet tribute to her late brother, but it also shows that 30 years later Versace has the brand’s style nailed down.
3. Angelina Jolie’s Velvet Oscars Dress
Angelina Jolie has always been a looker, but she turned heads at the 84th Annual Academy Awards in this stunning Versace dress. Jolie wore a black velvet gown with a thigh-high slit. Coupled with Jolie’s stunning beauty and fierce pose on the red carpet, the dress became one of the most iconic fashion moments from the 2010s. Not to mention Jolie attending with her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt, it was a moment for the ages.
4. Cardi B’s gold chain custom look designed by Donatella Versace
In 2022, the two stars made headlines when they attended the Met Gala together. Versace was clad in a blue and gold floor-length gown while Cardi B wore a striking gold gown. The dress was made of layered chains which was so cool and the style showed off Versace’s innovative style.
The duo was a vision on the red carpet which added to the value of the dresses, but it was the fact that at the pinnacle of high fashion, Cardi B wore a specially designed chain dress to walk the carpet of the biggest night in fashion.
While the visionary has many more iconic Versace designs, these are the four that come to mind. It will be sad to see her step down, but Donatella Versace carries an almost thirty-year legacy with her exit.
