Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome greeted us as we arrived at Versace's S/S 15 show. How apt. Versace is a much-needed pick-me-up on the somewhat dry Milan schedule. We mark our schedules for some fun, frolics and freedom. Donatella never disappoints.
For S/S she'd been looking to Cuba, hence those Havana street scenes on shirts and jackets and the general mood of sun and sex. But then sex and Versace are one and the same. Her men are studs - their suits come with broader shoulders, their bikers are in stronger leather and the prints they wear are brighter and bolder. They are Roman warriors; always have been, always will be. That's why, no matter what country Donatella is drawing her inspiration from each season, Rome always shines through. This season, it appeared in the underwear and swimwear section that served as the middle climax of the collection - a spectacular, if bizarre, display that saw models dressed in togas fashioned from Versace towels and sheets, with some fishnet body-stockings thrown in for good measure. They paraded to the sounds of Showroom Dummies, a Kraftwerk classic redone in Latin style. What an appropriate line for her boys to strut to, 'We are show room dummies' - that sums up the way Donatella treats her men as mere canvases for her fantasies - gorgeous, sculpted visions of what masculinity can be.
But look again. There was a more complex message to those towels and sheets than just Roman sensuality. This was about building brand Versace and pushing product. That's why models also came with perfume bottles hung around their necks and plates and cups from the house's homeware range in their leather goods. Glance beyond the near-naked boys, thrown in as a welcome treat for us fun-starved press, and there was plenty of sellable fashion on show for the Versace man, from that golden knitwear to those cheery patchwork leather bikers.
