Donatella Versace and singer Dua Lipa presented a collection inspired by the House’s archives on 23 May in a dreamy private villa in the middle of the Cannes Film Festival. The models were also put on sale according to the see now, buy now principle.
The “La Vacanza” collection, co-created by Donatella Versace and British-Albanian pop singer Dua Lipa, presented last night in the middle of the Cannes Film Festival, had everything it takes to create a buzz…
Glamour, nostalgia, celebration, and dreams. A marriage of positive values that allowed us to escape from an often gloomy daily life.
As for a film, all the elements had been gathered to make this moment a success.
Starting with a heavenly setting against the backdrop of the setting sun: the mythical Château de la Croix des Gardes, perched on the heights of Cannes, with a panoramic view of the town and the Lérins islands.
Wow effect
For an assured Waouh effect, the podium itself has been installed above the infinity pool to present the work of this duo of “directors,” two women displaying their power and freedom.
On this catwalk like no other, a cast composed of the cream of the crop of models with names such as Vittoria Ceretti, Anna Evers, Fernando Lindez, or Mona Tougaard paraded. However, inclusiveness was also the order of the day, with silhouettes that were far from all respecting the diktat of thinness and imposing size.
Among the guests were also a handful of hand-picked stars: actors Simone Ashley, Jason Statham, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, K-Pop (Hyunjin from Stray Kids) or alternative pop stars (Rina Sawayama), NBA champions (Dwyane Wade) and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
A touch of nostalgia
Argentine model Ivàn de Pineda was invited to play the role of a fashion journalist commenting on the show. This emblematic Versace model had been photographed by Mert and Marcus back in 1996 for the House.
This nostalgia was also reflected in the collection, which was inspired by the Versace models of Spring-Summer 1995, the metallic mesh ornaments of the 1990s, and the pastel colors of Autumn-Winter 1992… All of this was enhanced by a very Dolce Vita sixties spirit, for example, by a cheerful pattern of large polka dots in different colors or the very Bardot-like bouffant hairstyles of the models.
“The collection is aptly named. We wanted to focus on holidays, to create a fun wardrobe with summer colors, with butterflies and ladybirds everywhere, two archival prints from spring-summer 1995,” Dua Lipa told Vogue France.
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But it was also about presenting “a collection that highlights a free woman, like Dua, who represents the women of today, confident, strong and able to influence people,” Donatella said.
Anti-quiet luxury manifesto
In the end, an anti-quiet luxury manifesto with silhouettes, sexy as always at Versace, highlighting a woman at ease with her body and partying without restraint.
If the colors were present, black, the symbol of seduction par excellence, was also present.
The guests could discover a pink dress suit, long dresses in silk chiffon, and more sexy pieces such as long black cocktail dresses, slit up to the thigh, or more girly or mini dresses in metallic pink and azure leather… The mini-skirt and bustier duo, composed of two small pockets with straps decorated with the famous Medusa head, was also part of the show.
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See now buy now
To create the gender contrast that also creates desire, blazer dresses, Dua Lipa’s favorite piece, and men’s waistcoats echoed the autumn-winter 1992 collection.
In the wake of this great “trailer,” the La Vacanza collection was also sold in shops and on the Versace website. “We live in a digital world: making people wait for months to buy what they see today is disappearing,” said Donatella Versace to explain this see now-buy now strategy.
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Featured photo : © Versace
