Dario Vitale ropes in creative friends to tease new Versace vision

In recent weeks, sentences alluding to ‘the big fashion switcharound’ have ceased to sound like words, as we hurtle into a fashion season full of massive debuts. Do I even need to go into who’s doing what and where? Not really, because there’s a Dazed explainer for that right here. 

Before all that, though, the designers at the centre of it all have been dropping sneak peeks at what’s to come, with Jonathan Anderson and Louise Trotter kitting a bunch of celebs out for the red carpet in their new Dior and Bottega Veneta looks respectively. 

Also doing just that earlier this month was Dario Vitale, who dressed Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried in the exact same Versace look at the Venice Film Festival. Far from it being a faux pas, the comment section was awash with fashion fans calling it a ‘genius’ move that showed the iconic Italian house transcends age – Versace is for every generation and every woman (with enough cash to drop, obviously).

Now, ahead of Vitale’s intimate, not-quite-a-proper-show moment in Milan on September 26, he’s offered up a further glimpse into his vision for the house through a new project. The designer has handed over control to a swathe of creatives he admires, who have each come up with something that, to them, screams “Versace”. It’s not a campaign, stresses the label, but more a moodboard signalling what’s to come.

Among those given carte blanche to put forward what Versace means to them are is writer Eileen Myles, who offers up an intimate, original poem called Put It Back, photographer Collier Schorr, who got the colouring pencils out and sketched a self-portrait, and longtime collaborator Steven Meisel, who submits a striking black and white image from a shoot in 1997. 

The move to invite a wide range of creatives into the fold makes sense: fashion houses aren’t just about the clothes any more. Brands like Miu Miu, Loewe, and Bottega Veneta have proven how successful telling stories from wider culture and creating communities can be for a house, and, from what we can see here, it seems like Vitale is on the same page.

Click through the gallery above for a closer look at the series and keep your eyes on Dazed for your first look at Vitale’s first ‘show’ on September 26.

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