Versace injects colour into menswear collection
Nicola Mira
For the first time in three years, Versace
In a nod to the presentation’s date, 2/2/2022, Creative Director Donatella Versace
The colours, bright, lively and imbued with fresh energy, are the collection’s first striking element. Golden orange hues monopolise jackets and coats in glossy satin, and a twin set in cable-knit wool. Purple is the colour for suits and trousers that are matched with teal green coats and two-tone, lozenge-patterned knitwear, or a pair of neon-pink trousers.
In addition to the array of highly desirable monochrome items, like the minimalistic turquoise leather jacket, the collection features a series of motifs and prints in two and three-colour combinations: orange and violet, blue and violet, orange and pink, yellow, blue and black, and more. The label’s new monogram pattern, inspired by the fret motif of ancient Greek columns, Versace’s new emblem, is notably printed on cardigans, on flowing trouser sets, and on shirts and bags. The label has also developed new leopard-spot patterns in bright colours, actually more akin to flowers, pansies for example.
The film, steeped in Versace’s sexy imagery as the models slouch on sofas in their finery, sculpted muscles prominent, features a mix of different male personae, all sharing a similar style, oozing a laid-back, subtly sophisticated elegance. The characters include businessmen in grey pinstripe or large-check suits, adventurers bare-chested under their gilets and biker jackets, duffel-coated students, and dandies elegantly layering one patterned shirt over another.
The lines of this Fall/Winter 2022-23 collection are generously comfortable, but their clean, essential cuts give them a chic edge. The clothes are soft, destructured, and cling almost sensually to the body. All the items are made in fine fabrics and can be easily combined with one another, allowing the looks to change and evolve depending on the mood.