The world of fashion remembers Versace

The world of fashion paid fitting tributes to world-renowned fashion designer Gianni Versace on July 15, 2007, the tenth anniversary of his death.

Versace, who built his fashion empire from his studio in the centre of Milan, Italy, was gunned down outside his oceanfront mansion in Miami Beach, Florida, the United States, on July 15, 1997.

A massive manhunt was launched, but the killer, Andrew Cunanan, was later found dead, having supposedly killed himself. Versace, who was then aged 50, was shot twice in the head by Cunanan, who was wanted for four other murders.

Versace was sexy and had a daring style which made him a favourite with rock singers, Hollywood stars, and other celebrities.

A few of the world’s most famous personalities from fashion, music, and popular culture had attended Versace’s funeral in Milan, including Elton John and Princess Diana. Diana died two months later in a car crash in Paris.

The city of Milan is commemorating Gianni Versace on the anniversary with a series of events in his memory.

As a part of observing the celebrated Italian fashion designer’s anniversary, Versace’s sister Donatella created some of the costumes for a special performance of a ballet titled Thanks Gianni, with love.

It was as a tribute to Versace’s love of the theatre that French choreographer Maurice Bejart wrote the two-part ballet.

Other events include an exhibit of Versace’s sketches of theatre costumes that will be installed on Milan streets in July and the establishment of a scholarship in his honour at the European Institute of Design in Milan.

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and supermodel Claudia Schiffer were among the 1,500 guests gathered at La Scala, Milan. “Gianni Versace was such a warm man, with so much fun and full of joy of life and amazing talent,” Claudia Schiffer told reporters.

Versace was famous for his exuberant prints and love of gold, making his outfits popular with rock stars. The outfits designed by Versace came to symbolise the culture of glitz, glamour, and money of the 1980s.

Meanwhile, in Florida, the gates of Casa Casuarina, which was once Versace’s oceanfront mansion in Miami Beach, remained closed, reported Associated Press. There were no flowers, candles or memorials to commemorate the death anniversary.

The 20,000-square-foot, Mediterranean-style palazzo where Versace died was converted into a private club after Peter Loftin, a telecommunications magnate from Raleigh, North Carolina, the United States, bought the 12-bedroom, 13-bath home for $19 million in 2000.

Many tourists who stopped to take photographs at the home said they did so because it once belonged to Versace and not because of the death anniversary.

Gianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946, in the industrial town of Reggio di Calabria in southern Italy.

He started designing clothes when he was 22 years old when a local garment maker hired him to design a collection that was sold in the store of his mother, Francesca Versace.

The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan’s Via della Spiga in 1978, and it immediately became popular.

His 1982 collection introduced metallic garments that would become his trademark, and his elaborate stage costumes for Elton John in the late 1980s helped cement his reputation.

Gianni Versace’s legacy is evident from the fact that his brand continues to sell. His empire is still growing.

After the death of Versace, his sister Donatella took over design, with brother Santo running the business. Today, Versace is one of the world’s leading international fashion houses.”

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