"I m not a Versace girl, but I d wear that" is a phrase that s been echoing through the label s Fifth Avenue store-cum-showroom all week. Donatella Versace s renewed embrace of the house s heritage—the grommets, the bustiers, the scarf hemlines, and the exposed zips that her brother Gianni knew and loved—has given her Resort collection a vitality that seems to be making converts out of nonbelievers. It could ve been the easy, breezy cut of vacation dresses in a tropical print inspired by Matisse s Bouquet. Or maybe it was the couture-level workmanship on a cropped-below-the-bust jacket handmade from stamped leather, knit, and raffia. But we tend to think it has something to do with how right Versace s unapologetically sexy vision feels in a season that s been dominated by sport.
Not that she can t do sportswear. Leave it to Donatella to give a button-down come-hither appeal (it was the cutouts). But it s her eveningwear that s going to be pulled for shoots and photographed on celebrities. We re talking about the black and white dresses with the ergonomic, body-enhancing insets on the bodice that could give curves to a girl who has none to speak of. If you have curves? Well, let s just say these frocks are designed to produce results.
