“Creativity, for sure, is not disposable,” said Anna Wintour. “But in the current all-change moment, is it being sidelined?”
“Absolutely, yes!” replied Donatella Versace: “Being told what to do, being told what s going to sell… I think fashion is creativity and creativity is instinct. If you try to please too many people, too many managers, creativity is gone.”
Applause rang out in Milan’s Triennale museum as Versace finished her statement—even from amongst the clusters of senior fashion entrepreneurs and executives who were in the audience. As Wintour had just noted, this has been a “Hurricane Season”—a period of unprecedented chopping and changing at a creative level in the fashion season: that applause indicated widespread Hurricane Season fatigue. Which in part was why we had taken a break from the Milan shows to look back at the masterworks from the past that are contained in Il Sogno [The Dream], a new book that collects some of the greatest fashion shoots from the history of Vogue Italia.
Those shoots were masterminded by the magazine’s late, great editor Franca Sozzani. To mark the launch Sozzani s successor at the helm of Vogue Italia, Francesca Ragazzi, bade us all welcome before Wintour and Versace took to the stage, where the the two old friends assumed their respective professional roles for a Q&A.
The conversation, of course, turned to Sozzani. Versace described her as a “pioneer of fashion” while Wintour added: “She was always, always ahead of her time. And what I was always so impressed with too, with Franca, is that she seemed to be an army of one. I don t know how she did it. There we were in America with teams and teams of people, and Franca would manage to do everything just by herself. She was just an extraordinary person.”
The conversation also put Versace under the spotlight. First Wintour and then a succession of fellow fashion stars—who had sent their questions for Versace to Wintour beforehand—grilled the designer in advance of her fall 2025 Versace show tonight. Below are a few further highlights.
Anna Wintour: Where do you find your inspiration? I, personally, have most of my breakthroughs when I walk through Washington Square Park early in the morning on my way to the gym. Are you someone that has inspiration first thing in the morning?
Donatella Versace: First thing in the morning? No! Because I’m not a morning person. Maybe around 12, I start to find my inspiration! I find inspiration in books, but also mostly in the streets. Looking at younger people…Sometimes they mix clothes together in a way that is so interesting. The youth.
AW: This question is from Fausto Puglisi, the creative director of Roberto Cavalli: Versace has always been a manifesto of freedom, and you have always worked all your life for LGBTQ+ causes. Do you feel that they are now under threat? And how can we try to be more united and more resilient?
DV: They are definitely under threat. What is going on in Italy, what is going on in America…I don’t care. I am going to keep doing what I used to do. What can they do? Be put in prison? I don’t think so. These people need to be heard and they need to be helped too, because they have a lot of problems that we don’t have.
AW: This next question is from somebody that you once told me was the one designer that you haven’t collaborated with that you wish that you had. And his name is John Galliano. His question to you, Donatella, is: How do you ever escape from being the icon that you are?
DV: I stay home! Me and John Galliano, we have a history of friendship from the ’90s. He is amazing, an unbelievable talent. I adore him.
AW: This question is from Sabato De Sarno, who is here tonight. His question is: I wonder, what would inspire [your brother] Gianni today? What do you think would most catch his attention?
DV: Gianni was going to the theater, the movies. For Gianni it was culture. He was looking for young new artists who were breaking through.
AW: This one is from Alessandro Michele: If your brother walked through the door today, what would you say to him?
DV: Oh my god. Me and Gianni had a great relationship, but we fought all the time! About ideas in fashion.
AW: And this question is from Tom Ford: Donatella, you are an icon in the truest sense of the word, and you have been portrayed by Gina Gershon twice, by Lady Gaga, by Penelope Cruz, by Maya Rudolph several times, and even Miss Fame on Drag Race. So which portrayal was your favorite, or did you love or hate them all?
DV: I didn’t hate anything. I laugh at myself—I don’t take myself too seriously. I don’t think anybody made a mistake impersonating me, it was all different aspects of my personality. In a way I was mad with Maya Rudolph. Because she was [acting] a little bit crazy, and with all the boys. But then I said: “Why not? Enjoy that.” She was brilliant.
AW: And finally, we have a question from a woman. In fact we have two questions from Louise Trotter, who is the new creative director at Bottega Veneta. Her first question is, if you could swap wardrobes with any woman in history, who would it be?
DV: Marlene Dietrich!
AW: And her second question is, what do you wish more women in fashion would say out loud?
DV: We want fashion to be fashion—and no compromise.
