Post date: Jan 21, 2013 1:45:58 AM
Versace kicks off Paris couture week with a colourful and luxurious collection awash in fluorescent hues and real 24-carat gold accents.
PARIS, FRANCE (JANUARY 20, 2013) (REUTERS) - Paris couture week kicked off on Sunday (January 20) with Donatella Versacerevealing her latest creations for Atelier Versace, the haute couture wing of the Italian label's fashion empire.
Atelier Versace's Spring/Summer 2013 collection explored the relationship between architectural shapes and ethereal fabrics. Flowing fabrics (chiffon and silk cady) contrasted nicely with the fitted dresses worn underneath. The overall silhouette was sleek and stream-lined with emphasized shoulders and a nipped-in waist.Designer Donatella Versace told Reuters that she had been inspired by Le Centorial, the glass, steel and iron-domed building in Paris' central business district where she chose to stage her show.
"It all started when I came to see this place. I was speechless of the beauty and the architecture of the dome, of the glass, and the steel, iron because this woman tonight is about material and powerful and this is the place for me, what reminds me," she said.
The collection was pure Versace in terms of its colour palette- a riot of fluorescent neon yellow and pink hues sprinkled with black and gold numbers. This season, Atelier Versace aimed to render haute couture more modern by designing pieces that were wearable but still screamed luxury, such as the black pinstripe suits threaded with real 24-carat gold.
Donatella Versace brought Atelier Versace back to Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week last year following an eight-year hiatus. When asked why she decided to refocus the company's efforts on couture, the insanely expensive handmade-to-wear branch of fashion, she cited its unparalleled capacity to serve as a creative laboratory.
"I'm allowed to do things that I cannot do for pret-à-porter, for example, I have two fabrics in this collection. One is black pinstripe, but the stripe is real gold. Another one is a denim, a Japanese denim, woven with real gold again. So you cannot do this kind of thing for example for pret-à-porter, it would cost a fortune. And these are special pieces, the clients of couture want something unique."
Celebrities in attendance included Oscar winner Kevin Costner and Princess Charleneof Monaco. Costner, who attended the show with his wife Christine Baumgartner and his mother said that he was surprised but very grateful to have been invited to the glamorous event. Costner has been in Paris since December filming his new movie "Three Days to Kill," directed by McG (Charlie's Angel, Terminator Salvation) and written by Luc Besson.
"It was very thoughtful [of Donatella Versace] to find me here in town and to make it possible... it's very generous. I mean a lot of people watching go, 'How do you get in the front row?' Um, I don't know, but we got that personal invite so we're flattered to be here," he said.
Versace was founded by the late Gianni Versace in 1978. Donatella Versace took over the reins following the death of her brother who was murdered in Miami Beach in 1997. The Italian label is best-known for its brazenly-sexy silhouettes and over-the-top glamour.
Paris Haute Couture Week runs through Thursday (January 24). Highlights of the week include shows by such storied French and Italian fashion houses as Christian Dior, Chanel, Giorgio Armani Privé, Jean Paul Gauthier and Valentino.