I remember the glint of the gold buttons; the sashay of the mid length skirts often checks sometimes black to match the different monochrome my mother embraced black and gold instead of the steadfast black and white.

One of my favourite memories is when my cousins came to visit, and we went upstairs to try on my mother’s clothes and shoes, falling into the wardrobe that spanned the length of the wall of the room. And under-neath a treasure trove of shoes that were always too big, but we didn’t care. There was a Kaleidoscope of color and everything was very 80’s and another wardrobe with a full-length mirror to look at our mismatched collaborations. This is probably when I became interested in fashion. I remember the shoulder pads, the oversized blazers and the power dressing of the 80’s with splashes of bright colors and print. One of my favourite designers that I loved was Gianni Versace. He brought vitality and art to the fashion industry.

Born in 1946 in Reggio di Calabria, Italy, Versace became one of the top fashion designers of the 1980s and '90s. His mother introduced him to dressmaking and in 1972, he moved to Milan, and designed for Italian labels Genny, Callaghan and Complice. In 1973, he became the designer of "Byblos", Versace launched his own ready-to-wear collection for women in 1978. Siren dresses became his trademark. He often used innovative materials such as aluminium mesh or techniques like "neo-couture" laser technology to fuse leather and rubber. Among Versace's most famous innovations was his 1982 invention of a type of chain-mail called 'Oroton', which became a signature material in his outfits.

I would sit in front of the television in the kitchen with my legs crossed watching classic shows on Fashion TV. My mum in the background usually blow drying her hair while we chatted away about trends and colours. One of Versace’s most infamous dresses was the safety pin dress worn by Liz Hurley. The black dress was made from pieces of silk and lycra, with oversized gold safety pins. It was cut down to the cleavage, with straps connected by gold safety pin and two cut-away parts at the side. The black and gold tones remind me of Christmas when it was always an excuse to dress up to excess. The dress is Versace’s best-known creation and it received global coverage in newspapers and magazines. He is quoted as saying “I like the body, I like to design everything to do with the body”.

““I like the body, I like to design everything to do with the body””

Gianni was influenced by ancient Greek history and the head of Medusa became a dominant image on his clothing and is the company’s logo.  Medusa was a Greek mythological figure and it is said the logo came from the floor of ruins in Rome that the Versace siblings played in as children. Just like the Medusa head that captured Versace’s imagination, playing dress up in my mother’s wardrobe is a vivid memory from my childhood. It was a chance to emulate my mother’s style and feel like a grown up.

He has influenced me with his experimental and risky style. He taught me not to be scared of fashion and to embrace my own sense of style to not always follow trends and be unique in my own right. To look at the shape and cut of clothes wearing what flatters your body. He was also influenced by contemporary art and architecture and his designs were multi faced and unique. I admire how he expressed his influences. His designs employed vivid colors and bold prints that were cut for the female frame. He offered a refreshing contrast to other designers. His aesthetic combined luxurious Classicism while expressing a woman’s sexuality. 

He is quoted as saying, "I don't believe in good taste", he had a brazen defiance for the rules of fashion. From 1978, Versace built the company with the support of his family, employing his sister Donatella as Vice President and his brother Santo as President of the company. He employed models that became supermodels. From Naomi Campbell to Linda Evangelista. Versace developed strong relationships with a number of stars and supermodels, including Elton John, Madonna and Naomi Campbell. As Anna Wintour told The New York Times, Versace "was the first to realise the value of celebrity in the front row, and the value of the supermodel, and put fashion on an international media platform.

Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista became the trinity of Supermodels. The models achieved celebrity status in the 90’s. Gianni Versace’s Fall 1991 show generally referred to as "Freedom! '90," after the George Michael song set a new standard for fashion. For the finale, Campbell, Crawford, Turlington and Evangelista who had all appeared in George Michaels Freedom video came out Lip-synching to the song. "If I had to label my supermodel moment, I would say it was that Versace show," Cindy Crawford. " Evangelista told Interview in 2013, "No matter where I went in the world, they knew me from the video and not from my campaigns”. After his death in 1997, his sister Donatella took over the company. It had been 20 years since the death of Gianni Versace and to celebrate the designer's legacy. Donatella Versace hosted a show during Milan Fashion Week and a Spring 2018 collection the original '90s supermodels reunited on the runway. Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, and Helena Christensen all walked hand-in-hand behind Donatella for the finale wearing a gold Versace chain-mail gowns. Cindy Crawford's daughter, Kaia Gerber also walked the show in a vibrant yellow cheetah print look. Versace embraced fashion in a unique way he said” don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, decide what you are, what you want to express and the way you live”.

He was among the first to fully recognise the potential of models to become significant players in the industry. His designs were ambitious in their construction and fabric, pioneering dresses with panels of metal mesh and chain-mail. He was a skilful colourist, creating elegance flattering the female body. Versace was a ground-breaking designer and will always be remembered for his inspirational techniques as Elton John said ''Gianni and I were like brothers,''. ''We were very similar. We had the same taste. He taught me about art, and I taught him about music. He was someone on my level of thinking. We were continually trying to improve our creativity. You never left him without being stimulated about some aspect of fashion or art or life''.

He inspired me with his bright colours and specifically the bold red lipstick many of the models wore in the 80’s for his shows so much so I remember smothering my face with red lipstick when I was very young and missing most of my lips and then deciding it would be a good idea to paint my mums beige bag with the red lipstick and my mum finding me sitting on the floor of the wardrobe with a big smile on my face and her arms folded tapping her high heels trying not to laugh.