Dario Vitale debuts at Versace but forget polished glamour. Think of the morning after a night out, making your way home in last night’s clothes thrown on in a rush: half-buttoned shirts, loose belts, unfastened trousers, socks pulled on without care, a cardigan tied hastily around the waist and the story still written all over you. You know exactly what I mean, it’s the ultimate walk of shame aesthetic: messy, sexy and unapologetically real.
The sexual element is present but subtle, as the designer says: “It’s the memory of the morning after.” Vintage pieces were scattered everywhere among chairs, sofas and a large unmade bed that is reminiscent of a lived-in space, a metaphor of Vitale’s debut at a brand with deep legacy. Songs like Here Comes the Rain by Eurythmics, Express Yourself by Madonna, and Everything She Wants by Wham! take us straight back to the ’80’s.
The collection draws inspiration from Versace’s roots and Gianni himself, as well as his Miami lifestyle: pop prints featuring Marilyn Monroe, widely used by the designer in his earliest collections, diamonds and stripes that shape the body, and of course the iconic baroque print. The palette is colorful and vibrant: green paired with blues, bright reds, yellows and purples. High-waisted pants squeeze the waist, while cropped but oversized jackets with broad shoulders slim the figure. Styling is messy yet chic. It's a perfect mix of past and present, referencing history while adapting it to today including unexpected collaborations such as with Onitsuka Tiger for shoes that are destined to become the obsession of the moment.
After the brand’s acquisition by the Prada Group, Vitale certainly had a lot of weight on his shoulders as the first non-Versace to present a collection. Yet he managed to create something that, while drawing from the past, doesn’t feel nostalgic, instead gives confidence in the brand’s new future.
