LOUD and proud, the Versace Men’s SS19 collection exuded a bold confidence. Donatella Versace describes taking inspiration from the audacious— ‘‘these are men who do not care about the rules and that is exactly what I love: they have an opinion and make their own style choices.”
The show opened with a series of outfits bringing modern business wear together with a comment on tabloid culture. Soft grey pinstripes and unstructured suits were paired with T-shirts and accessories sporting a Versace newspaper print. The lurid headlines emblazoned across garments continued into an assortment of edgier street-wear pieces, blurring the lines between our cultural obsessions with celebrity scandal and designer branding.
Elsewhere, the collection played with contrasts, combining sheer outerwear, red snakeskin and touches of acidic neon. Clashing florals and ditsy prints echoed the Wisteria-curtained surroundings of the courtyard catwalk. Slouchy jackets in Versace’s signature Medusa print were worn with logoed socks and sandals, while tiny handbags made a statement about the flexible boundaries between modern masculine and feminine wardrobes.
With its multiple reinterpretations of contemporary masculinity, from slick business wear to urban street style, this collection confidently confronted what it means to be a man in the modern world.
by Rachel Parker