Haute Couture Spring 2016: Atelier Versace

Atelier Versace plunged necklines, scooped out cut-outs and hiked up hem slits to the hilt in Paris last night at their Spring 2016 couture show. Styling these statements with unashamed aplomb the legendary Italian fashion house did disperse the shock factor with some tidy modern tailoring and a few more girlish mini dress moments.

It’s a good thing this is Atelier Versace though, because if one is going to go to such outwardly sexy extremes, the likes of which runways have barely seen in recent times, couture tends to clear the way for such audacious sartorial remarks. But alas, this was Donatella decorating femininity in a way only Donatella can do and we are all for that.

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While all undeniably Versace  – with some sporty spice – it was slightly odd when some moments felt a little Mugler circa 2015 as seen by new boy David Koma, or maybe that should Mugler as seen by Versace, but the fluid Versace Venus look won out in the end. If any pieces did lean a little too awry, it was the sculpted smoking suits but these were soon given the goddess treatment by Donatella, who chose to interlace seams with tubular Swarovski encrusted vines with a whip like quality, kinky if you ask me.

When modelled marvellously by model-of-the-moment Gigi Hadid, these pieces bounded down the catwalk.

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The gowns poised to galvanise the rest of the collection were traffic-stopping, blanched in atomic white and sticky onyx hues and given extra awareness when soaked with rather acrid cobalt, lemon and tangerine colourways. The slinky shapes weren’t really anything to stop traffic for however, the bias cuts and cascading glittering accents were of course gorgeous and it was reasonably stimulating to witness each supermodel in such a display of I am woman hear me roar, in a Versace gown, after such the recent long menswear slog, but it wasn’t entirely a hat-trick in the couture sense.

by Liam Feltham

Images courtesy of Versace