Versace vocabulary: On his 20th death anniversary,we decode the Gianni gene...

Last week marked the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace’s death (he was shot dead on 15 July 1997, aged 50, on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion as he returned from a morning walk on Ocean Drive) and Instagram was inundated with emotional outpouring of tributes from ‘90s supermodels, editors, photographers to the cultishly-devoted Italian label’s muses. Born in the humble Reggio di Calabria in Southern Italy, the self-made designer jolted the fashion world out of its bourgeois complacency with his sartorial wizardry — think pomp and provocation, incendiarily sexy cuts and baroque prints beaming with individuality.

His Fall 1991 show had Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington sashaying down the runway and lip-syncing to George Michael’s Freedom! — remains the most epochal
moment in the fashion history. What is it about the Versace look which makes it so relevant even today — its influence seen in the works of designers like Anthony Vaccarello, Fausto Puglisi and Hedi Slimane? With Ryan Murphy’s American Crime Story series about his assassination debuting early next year, After Hrs traces back the alluring universe of Versace...

Anaita Shroff Adajania, Fashion Director, Vogue India recalls the bondage inspiration, Liz Hurley’s safety-pin dress and march-of-fashion campaigns. She shares, “As different and unique as
all this sounds, these are just a few fleeting glimpses of Gianni Versace’s unforgettable impressions. Impressions that he cast upon us all. The essence of Gianni Versace’s era was brazen sexiness. He gave us a new language, he boldly broke barriers and he was assuredly sexy about it. And whenever we saw his work, it was so obvious that Versace stood for the future. It’s hard to forget Gianni famously saying, ‘I am not interested in the past, except as a road to the future.’ And in the same vein, it is hard to forget his juggernaut contribution to the fashion industry and his influence passionately driving it forward in leaps and bounds beyond compare.”

A revolutionary approach
In a stroke of genius, he made provocative acceptable with his S&M inspired offerings. Designer Amit Aggarwal observes that it was a revolutionary approach to understand how women actually wanted to feel. “Unapologetic and just free. I think his radical take on clothing was the next big thing in fashion after Dior’s New Look,” says he.

Greek  iconography
The Medusa’s deep symbolism inspired Gianni to adopt the Medusa Head as the central image of the House logo. Fashion columnist Asmita Aggarwal says, “He was the first to get supermodels in his shows, he used their power to sell his clothes, he used the Medusa to transfix his clients, he understood what women want — to look lithe-yet-voluptuous and he used it to his advantage in a rather
sophisticated manner rather than subtle; he made it outre and played with clashing prints and the Greek iconography of keys that are till today part of his legendary motif.”

Meeting him in Milan
Fashionista Sheetal Mafatlal, who got married in a Versace lehenga recalls meeting him first at the age of 15 in his Milan store. “I used to buy a lot of Versace and the store’s staff introduced me to him. He
came across as someone truly passionate about his craft. He was taken aback that someone so young would be interested in baroque prints and studded jeans. He proved that a woman can be provocative and stylish at the same time,” she says.

Transformative power
Stylist Divyak D’souza recalls styling for an Atelier Versace shoot in Paris for Bazaar Bride last year. “I was taken aback by the complete personality change in the model at the shoot, who slipped the Versace dress on. She loved the outfit and was blown away by the cut and the fit. Versace can totally make you feel sexy and empowered,” says Divyak.