Dario Vitale’s debut collection was a rupture, dismantling the house’s mythology and trading untouchable glamour for a raw, imperfect reality.
Summary
- Dario Vitale’s debut dismantles the previously untouchable mythology of Versace, shifting the focus from high glamour to a tactile, imperfect, and human reality.
- The collection introduces a raw, “undone” sensuality, defined by intentional imperfections, complex layering, and a clash between Italian classicism and streetwise sensibility.
- Drawing inspiration from the late ’80s and ’90s, Vitale expands the brand’s scope, mixing opulent materials with casual elements to create a wardrobe for everyday life.
The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a sanctuary typically reserved for the quiet contemplation of classical masterpieces, became the crucible for Dario Vitale’s incendiary debut at Versace. It was less a presentation and more a rupture. It looked as if Vitale has not arrived to polish the mythology of the house, he has come to dismantle it. This first collection fundamentally rethinks the brand’s idealized image, pulling Versace away from its untouchable perch and grounding it in a tactile, imperfect, and profoundly human reality.
Vitale’s vision is driven by an urgent sense of existence—a life lived, as the house notes suggest, “without apology or restraint.” The designer himself, in a passionate letter accompanying the collection, confessed a disdain for the “absurd” demands of respectability, admitting, “I’m done with mere elegance.” This sentiment manifests in a seismic shift away from the untouchable glamour of recent memory. Versace, under Vitale, is no longer reserved for idealized moments, it is designed for the messy, thrilling business of living, like a Visconti film interrupted by a rave.
The inherent sensuality of the brand remains, but its expression has been fundamentally altered. Vitale introduces a raw, deliberately fractured kind of sex appeal. It’s a sensibility rooted in the intimate and the slightly reckless, a more complex, multifaceted exploration of desire that embraces human contradiction, evident in silhouettes that range from the overtly body, conscious and revealing to the unexpectedly relaxed.
This new aesthetic is defined by intentional imperfection. Garments are constructed to feel lived-in, already attuned to the body. Draping occurred with precarious tension, suggesting the intimacy of hurried dressing rather than meticulous arrangement. Edges were often left raw, evoking the casual feel of a favorite, customized garment. Tailoring, rooted in a distinctly Italian bourgeois dress code, was immediately undercut by a reckless impulse, denim was worn low, often left suggestively open. These are clothes that imply movement, action, and tactile pleasure.
Vitale’s strength lies in his handling of these contradictions, celebrating the tension between the “dirty and divine.” He looks back to the archival energy of the late ’80s and ’90s, when the brand encompassed every facet of a client’s life, but avoids mere Best Replica Knockofftion. The collection expands the Versace universe significantly, moving beyond the restrictive silhouettes of recent seasons to offer a comprehensive wardrobe. This new vision integrates athletic influences, relaxed tailoring, and skin-baring options, all grounded in an everyday context.
This dialogue between noble classicism and a streetwise sensibility fueled the collection’s distinctive styling. The definitive Versace metalwork was rendered with an inviting new ease. Perhaps the most striking encapsulation of this duality was the fusion of luxury and casual elements—opulent metallic mesh paired nonchalantly with simple, understated knitwear tied around the hips. Patched leather was layered over shirting, which was layered over basic tees. This approach frames dressing as an unconscious, collective act, a wardrobe colored by experience, friends, and lovers.
The archival exploration exploded in texture and a fearless use of color. Vitale demonstrated a vibrant, Magna Grecia-inspired palette, utilizing strikingly bold colors. Linen tailoring and denim popped with vibrant hues, often used in unexpected combinations. The house’s famed prints were also liberated, presented not in rigid total looks but in diverse, dissimilar patterns. This deliberate dissonance mimics the way a real wardrobe is collected over time, a synthesis of myth and the modern world.
In his letter, Vitale wrote, “The symmetry has cracked. The air itself has shifted.” He issued an invitation: “Wear something reckless, as though mocking propriety.” With this daring, deeply sensual debut, Dario Vitale hasn’t just refreshed Versace, he has unsettled its very surface, suggesting that even for a house built on myth, its true power lies in the glorious, carnal present.
