When Gianni Versace returned to his villa “Casa Casuarina” on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on July 15, 1997 after a morning walk, his murderer was already waiting there. He kills the 50-year-old designer with two pistol bullets. And so, exactly 25 years ago, a life that set new standards even for the eccentric world of fashion ended in a tragic way. The perpetrator is quickly identified: Andrew Cunanan, a 27-year-old serial killer who has already been accused of four other murders.
At the height of fame
Gianni Versace is at the peak of his fame at this point. He has created a fashion empire out of nothing within two decades, revels in glamor and luxury. Born on December 2, 1946 in Reggio Calabria, his enthusiasm for fashion was evident early on in his mother’s tailoring workshop.
In 1972 Versace moved to Milan, worked for various labels and finally made his own name a brand in 1978. So he is in the right place at the right time. In the 1980s, Milan developed into the absolute fashion metropolis and overthrew Paris from its throne. Two names in particular are on everyone’s lips: Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace. The greatest possible contrast that fashion can offer. Here is an androgynous look in beige and grey. There an opulent sensuality increased to the point of excess. Or as Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of “Vogue”, once described it: “Armani designs for the wife, Versace for the lover.”
The brightest colors, the brightest patterns, the most precious fabrics on the most beautiful women and men: in fashion by Gianni Versace, the superlative becomes the norm.
The day that changes everything
Its boutiques resemble Roman temples. He turns models into supermodels. Stars like Elton John, Sylvester Stallone and Princess Diana form his circle of friends. The designer doesn’t live, he resides: in palazzi of imperial splendor, filled with exquisite art. A lifestyle that stimulates the imagination. Always by his side are the siblings Donatella and Santo Versace. She is his closest confidante, he takes care of business matters.
On July 15, 1997, her world collapsed. Why Andrew Cunanan killed the designer is unclear. There is still wild speculation. Cunanan himself committed suicide eight days after the crime. After Gianni’s death, Donatella Versace takes over as creative director – and faces a mammoth task. “The whole world was looking at me and 99 percent of people thought I wouldn’t get it. And maybe I thought so too at first,” she later admits.
Failure does come. And the public enjoys it. Her drug problems, the cosmetic surgeries, her daughter Allegra’s anorexia. Many collections are panned by the critics.
But Donatella Versace withstands it, frees herself from all misery over time and develops the label step by step. Eventually she even becomes one of the front women of a feminism celebrated on the catwalks. In a “FAZ” portrait she said three years ago: “Now is the time to fight for women.”
Source: Nachrichten
