MILAN FASHION WEEK AUTUMN WINTER 2022: VERSACE

by Cecile Paul · Published February 28, 2022 · Updated September 29, 2023

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VERSACE’s Corseted, Latex & Tweed-Clad Boudoir Kittens Just Want To Have Fun!

All Image and Video Credit: Versace, Milan Fashion Week and Vogue

A shocking pink cut-out waist tweed dress

Donatella’s models in their latex leggings, rouge noir lips and straightened hair strutted their stuff, sexy and confident, inner power oozing from behind those cinched and boned corseted tops, dresses and jackets.

And believe me, corsets are the backbone of this collection, they’re the building blocks of every distinctive silhouette – sometimes playing a supportive role as a body-shaping under piece, at other times being the defining part of a dress or puffer jacket. Madonna’s corseted creations from the Eighties fleetingly spring to mind, and with them designers like Ozbek, Alaia, Dolce & Gabbana and Gaultier, all having had a penchant for the dramatic and the exaggerated body-con silhouette. And of course Versace as a brand is synonymous with the corset and super-sexy, body-hugging, chest- and bottom-lifting, ‘look at me’, ultra-glamorous statement dressing. Well, this collection will do all of that for you, and more.

Donatella’s sassy little suits for Fall 2022 have been constructed from ripped boucle, denim or beads, they’re miniscule and they pack a punch. These fun bits-of-nothing aren’t intended for helping you break through the corporate glass ceiling, instead they have little else in mind than the pursuit of fun! No doubt their ultimate appeal lies with a young generation who have never experienced the Eighties (or even Nineties), a generation who have a penchant for maximum skin exposure and covet the miniscule miniskirt above all.

Colour-wise, a predominant palette of magenta and poison green – always a winner – came in the shape of skirts, dresses, herringbone boucle jackets with fringed edges, blazers and super sumptuously luxe faux fur coats. Monochromatic shocking pink and poison green featured in many of the offerings. There was plenty black, most notably so the glossy latex leggings that were so body-hugging they could well have been sprayed on! There were splashes of red boucle tweed in jackets and coats, black and white houndstooth in a shapely dress and an old staple, blue denim, made a cameo appearance in corsets and tiny skirts.

With this collection Donatella Versace made sure she kept her loyal clientele firmly on board, a client base that has just emerged from over two years of having gotten used to ‘lounging’ and wearing their underwear and pyjamas as outerwear. Getting them to swop a bra top for a corset may be a doddle (especially if said corset is made of self-indulgent shocking pink satin)?

At the same time Donatella may be appealing to a brand-new customer-base of first generation Tik-Tok ‘digital natives’ – the GenZees, who may still be living at home, who are financially-minded and at the same time wanting to have fun. I guess it’s a win-win for Donatella and her signature corsets and mini bodycon ensembles. As for me, I wonder which shade I’ll be investing in?

Watch Versace’s show here: