By: Joe De Hoyos
When Donatella Versace decided to stage the F/W 2023 collection in L.A. it was because the city represented to her a certain freedom of expression and individuality. It didn’t hurt that the show also coincided with Oscar’s week.
The guest list was star-studded with attendees including Dua Lipa, who opened her last fashion show, Cher and her new beau Alexander Edwards, and Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union who were there to see their daughter walk. It was also a who’s-who of LGBTQ Pop culture icons including Elton John, of course, Lil Nas X, Ariana DeBose, Tan France and Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Gottmik, Hunter Doohan from the hit Netflix show Wednesday, and Miley Cyrus.
The collection was presented on the roof of the “blue whale”, otherwise known as the Design Center in the heart of West Hollywood, which also happens to be in the heart of Gay life in Los Angeles. There is no way that was just a coincidence. With drag queens and our Trans brothers and sisters under attack, Donatella must have felt a kinship with the community being the sister of one of the most famous Gay men in the world, Gianni Versace. Good or bad we are in the zeitgeist and it makes sense that she would show her allegiance to the very notion of inclusivity.
For several seasons design houses have featured gender-neutral pieces (men in dresses and skirts, androgynous women in menswear) and the trend continued this season. The big surprise, however, was how restrained the collection was. Instead of relying on the well-known DNA of the House of Versace (bold silkscreened prints, oversized gold hardware, Medusa-head logos) she opted for sleek, modern apparel in textures of black. There were also unembellished non-bodycon medium-washed denims, and silk pieces that were sequined and rhinestoned with a sophisticated eye. It was a fresh perspective aimed at how people want to dress today.
For the first time it felt like the Versace customer was buying clothes with their own money instead of “daddy’s”. It was as if they decided to dress for style instead of for sex. No judgement, I just call it as I see it. It’s a new direction that will surely expand their influence as a design house and breathe new life into their customer base.