Monday, January 23, 2012

Paris Fashion Week Coverage

Atelier Versace Spring 2012 Couture

Versace’s past year has been one of extremes: H&M low-end retail collaboration to ready-to-wear to couture. It is arguably in the couture category that Versace is the strongest and this season was no exception as Donatella paraded a powerful blend of cosmic catwalk fare and slick futurism down the Paris runways.

What first strikes the viewer about this collection is the sinewy cuts of the floor-length gowns. From there, more futuristic details creep in until suddenly they resemble costumes from a Star Trek bridge, updated to the 23rd century. Angularly formed shoulder and torso pieces jut from the dresses, which only serves to heighten the drama of their silhouettes. When short shorts take over, they’re paired with go-go boots that take a page from Andre Courreges. More cosmic warrior pieces take their turn on the runway with bodices and corsets that resemble armor. One particularly stunning dress scales back the futuristic message and lets a more earthly organic one stand in its place. The dress featured a mosaic of lines that looked like a macro photo of the veins on a leaf. Its’ brilliant green shade was matched by other colorful ensembles that were presented in fiery orange, chartreuse, and an especially shattering shade of yellow. Versace rocked 2011, and this collection is proof that they’re staying on top in 2012 as well.

written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRunway

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