Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXI

1 5 7 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I energy was Versace’s high octane colour palette, boldly mixing together orange and purple stripes, and spots crafted out of kryptonite green. Sportswear is an important part of the line, featuring polo shirts and sweatshirts in animal print jacquard knit, or zip-up blousons in acid leopard. Versace has moved into sportswear-inspired pieces that signal a new mood of easy wearability – “because my woman is a traveller and she wants to look perfect wherever she is, all of the time,” she said. Craftsmanship adds rich detail, like a suede zip-up jacket bonded and topstitched with animal prints, or a utility jacket richly embellished with sequins. Sequin embellished glossy backpacks and tie-handle scrunched bags from the Palazzo family sparkled in the collection. Footwear focused on platforms with rubberised soles, safety buckles and a steep, steep heel and platform sandals embellished with sequins and frayed chiffon. The Versace show was sharp, it was bright, it was high slits on slinky little evening dresses. A duchesse satinmini dress with a voluminous silhouette and puffed, oversized sleeves was a departure from the usual silhouette, but was brought into line with a tight waist belt featuring the house Medusa. Donatella said they were clothes for “a woman who wants to be noticed – but for her beautiful tailoring rather than her flashy style”. It was a self-help lesson in confidence and wardrobe building – as Donatella instructed us to be whoever we are, wherever and however with this toughened up take on fashion. “This is a collection for the way women live their lives today, mixing tailoring with sportswear and effortless glamour," summed up Versace.