Contemporary Opulence and Risk Taking: Versace Thread

[jplay51]

While much of SF seems to revile the Versace ultra-lux lifestyle brands, and especially their development since the death of Gianni Versace, it's clear from the authenticity thread that Versace has a following on SF. However there are almost no places online to discuss the fashion house.

If you find something you like, post it here. Pictures of clothes, especially detail shots, are always welcome. This thread is for discussion, questions, education, anything related to the Versace Group (Gianni Versace S.p.A.), including the fashion lines, diffusion lines, Versace home, and hotels. For authenticity checks head over to the authenticity thread, however reference materials are welcome. My personal focus is on counseling fans towards the more moderate wearable designs. We’re under the Streetwear section because that along with semi-casual makes up the bulk of modern menswear collections.

For a brief timeline of the brand click here. I recommend picking up a biography of Gianni if you’re interested in the the history.

 

[LA Guy]

Well, while my personal style is about as far from Versace as you get, I do agree with Gianni Versace's rejection of the idea of "good taste".

 

[jplay51]

That's part of what makes the brand fascinating: they still take risks. They're not mortified to depart from 'good taste', and occasionally stumble on bold designs that work. With other ultra-lux or big name designers they create a circus on the runway, but don't take many risks with production pieces, like Hood By Air's F/W 16. You won't see tattered rags on their webshop.

Versace takes risks and occasionally gets stuck with hideous pieces that sit in the sale section - which people hold up as the brand's aesthetic, but we can do the same for Rick Owens or in "good taste" designers.

 

[Made in California]



Well, while my personal style is about as far from Versace as you get, I do agree with Gianni Versace's rejection of the idea of "good taste".

With any brand that's this huge, I feel like there's something for everybody. I always find myself saying this about a particular brand, then I come upon a few great pieces that win me over. They're simply producing so much product that there has to be a few hits.

 

[jplay51]

Some excellent compositions for womenswear FW '16 in Milan, not so for the menswear lines so far








More

While we may not see these designs for men on the runway they do tend to filter down into the men's collections for sale

 

[Made in California]

This cracks me up: Under the "Detail & Care" tab it reads only that this is a
1) "High Quality Men's Two Piece Suit" (good to know), and that it's
2) "Dry Clean Only"

VERY informative. Extra entertainment value from that fact that it's $3k and it reads "ALL ITEMS ARE FINAL SALE" at the top. Someone's going to pay $3000 for a suit where they don't know even what material it's made out of? Fun site.

EDIT: didn't read the word "SALE" at the top. I am an idiot.

 

[jplay51]

This cracks me up: Under the "Detail & Care" tab it reads only that this is a
1) "High Quality Men's Two Piece Suit" (good to know), and that it's
2) "Dry Clean Only"

VERY informative. Extra entertainment value from that fact that it's $3k and it reads "ALL ITEMS ARE FINAL SALE" at the top. Someone's going to pay $3000 for a suit where they don't know even what material it's made out of? Fun site.

Yeah I recommend buying from boutiques, they have more info and pictures. The message at the top says all sale items are final. Not normal items, like this one. Free returns and shipping on this. They play it like the ultra lux companies and are kind of assholes on their website and in the actual stores.

 

[Made in California]

^ Ah yes, thank you for the clarification. Edited my original post. I do have a more serious inquiry about this brand as a whole:



I have a pair of Versace mainline pants that I happen to like that is by no means garish, but after perusing the site, including the shoes, belts, clothes, etc it seems unlikely that I will ever own another.

Here's the belt section: http://us.versace.com/men/belts/241100,en_US,sc.html

I was kind of shocked when I noticed they don't have a single traditional frame-and-prong style belt there. There is literally nothing on this site you could use to compose an office-ready look, be it a normal dress shirt or belt. So what occurred to me is that they're actually just dividing their brands up differently in a way that I actually really like. I expected Versace mainline to be a lifestyle brand that represented what the company was about and had an enormous line of products that would suit any lifestyle in the same way that Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and Armani Collezioni all have everything from casual sneakers to formal office wear. But what Versace's doing is designing different lines for different looks.

Gianni Versace ($$$$$) - traditional fine tailoring
Versace ($$$$) - garish, nightlife
Versus ($$$) - casual
Versace Collection ($$$) - lifestyle, from low-key to flamboyant

So if you want trad looks, you have the top tier and the bottom tier, and if you want a Mesuda on everything you have the stuff in the middle. It seems like a much more strategic way to do things than say, Armani, which has a ton of redundancy between brands.

You're right in that there's not a lot of information on this brand floating around, in trying to verify the info above I didn't come up with much.

 

[jplay51]

 

[jplay51]

New building with interiors by Versace group, Jenga Tower, to be completed 2020.

 

[Made in California]

Saw your post yesterday and was going to post this, would love to hear what people think of the condos from a conceptual standpoint.

Nevertheless, for those who like to put their own stamp on their homes, the idea is unlikely to be popular universally.
"As a concept, for most people, walking into a branded house will feel very alien," says Hopwood.

I guess it's for the person who feels as though, "I don't want to have to think about this, just do everything for me Versace, thanks."

Since this article came out a few weeks ago though I've had time to think about it also and I wondered, "Why am I fine with Armani Casa but the Versace condos seem obnoxious?" and I realized it's just the particular aesthetic. No one is going to think you're gaudy if someone from Armani Casa does your dining room.

While at least one or two of the pictures are downright laughable, how would you guys feel if you had a friend whose home was top-to-bottom Ralph Lauren? A room is a cohesive thing and one thing I am glad of is that people are at least acknowledging that there's no need for the architecture to end and the furniture begin: It's all part of the same experience for a person entering a room for the first time.

EDIT: The idea of decorating a place from scratch with all new furniture and silverware and so on is very overwhelming to me. I would still do it myself, but **** that's a lotta work.

 

[jplay51]

Saw your post yesterday and was going to post this, would love to hear what people think of the condos from a conceptual standpoint.
I guess it's for the person who feels as though, "I don't want to have to think about this, just do everything for me Versace, thanks."

Since this article came out a few weeks ago though I've had time to think about it also and I wondered, "Why am I fine with Armani Casa but the Versace condos seem obnoxious?" and I realized it's just the particular aesthetic. No one is going to think you're gaudy if someone from Armani Casa does your dining room.

While at least one or two of the pictures are downright laughable, how would you guys feel if you had a friend whose home was top-to-bottom Ralph Lauren? A room is a cohesive thing and one thing I am glad of is that people are at least acknowledging that there's no need for the architecture to end and the furniture begin: It's all part of the same experience for a person entering a room for the first time.

EDIT: The idea of decorating a place from scratch with all new furniture and silverware and so on is very overwhelming to me. I would still do it myself, but **** that's a lotta work.

I would feel the same starting from scratch on a large flat like these. I've always found armani to be overly safe and muted, which would be a tempting way to decorate since no one would object. If money were no object and I wanted to move to London with a minimum of work, or use the flat as an RE investment (which a lot of these buildings have become, they're often only occupied a few months a year) these designer architecture projects make sense. For 99.99% of the population it's a ghastly idea. as for the RL themed place I think you'd end up with a New England style faux-hunting lodge and study 300 feet in the air over downtown replete with fake antiques and forest green area rugs

 

[jplay51]

I found this quite interesting: a totally separate company operated in Israel for years under the Versace name. Eventually the courts all sided with the S.p.A., but it took several lawsuits and quite some time.

https://www.aippi.org/enews/2010/edition12/Versace.html

 

[jplay51]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Versace-Haa...ge-Medusa-Palazzo-cuff-Bracelet-/231719083827

 

[jplay51]

Dubai Hotel - “the most luxurious that the Middle East has ever seen.”