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| Admit it, you saw this coming. |
Half the blogosphere practically exploded, when the news came out the Versace is having a collaboration with H&M. I'm
not exactly surprised, since most designers jump on the bandwagon for affordable lines(Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse, Missoni for Target, Lanvin for H&M. Ring a bell?) but
Versace for H&M?
Maybe it's just me, but growing up, I was obsessed with Versace when Gianni Versace was still designing it. Everything, from the in-your-face colours put together before colour-blocking even exist, to the abstract prints(
Is there such thing as print-blocking? If yes, then Gianni Versace invented it.)
For fashion history newbies, here's for future reference(click)
According to Donatella Versace in the press release, "For the collaboration we’ve brought back from the archives, as well as from more recent collections, some of the icons of Versace, such as the bright prints, the Greek key and daring cuts." I agree. The perfect balance between paying homage to the archives and translating the Versace brand to the younger audience. The prices don't hurt too, for those of us who can't afford to pay $4,000 for a single dress or bag. This is, perhaps, one of the best designer collaboration in recent years.
The mixture of different prints with similar colours are signature Versace, or print-blocking. The prints are very similar to the ones in the Versace archive. I like how the cropped jacket has puffy sleeves, and the rest of the outfit is very slimming. The belt and cuffs define this outfit too, while both of them give the outfit definiton.
This is probably my favourite look out of all the campaigns(too be honest, I was more focused on the photography than the clothes) With floral prints containing neon colours, but with a long-sleeved dress and leggings. Also, I like how they played with the perspective and the interior of the room to make such an unforgettable photo.
The flashy heart-pattern and fringes is kind of flashy and tacky, but this dress is one of those ironic numbers that manage to pass for fashionable. but the use of the green background is genius. The accessories for this collaboration is quite decent too: studs, leather belts, chunky jewelry and silky scarves with similar patterns.
This simple one-piece number reminds me of the
infamous safety pin dress, minus the safety pins. It has a
similar silhouettee and exaggerate the curves, making even the petite girls proud of what their momma gave them. Love the
design and placement of the buttons, they look exactly like the ones you might find in a vintage store.
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| Saving the best for the last. You see what I did there? |
The Versace and H&M collaboration is pricer than expected, but they use fabrics like leather and silk that give the clothes its characterisitics. Versace uses a lot of leather in all of their previous and present collections, so there's lots of leather jackets, leather dresses, you name it, they've got it.
Now the million-dollar question is: how to wear all of this?
Mix the same pattern together, and use studded accessories to
take the va-va-voom to next level. Personally, I won't use the scarf as, well, just a scarf because that would make you age at least 20 years.
Use it as a headband or belt to give it a 70's hippies feel. Or, if you're awesome at hairstyling,
tie it into a head wrap like the one in the collage.
The
floral, long-sleeved dress is
one of my favourite pieces in the collection. Mixing the leather jacket and floral dress together created
another signature Versace outfit, while the other understated(if you considered shiny and bright jewelry as understated) tone it down.
I put the bustier and leggings together as
an attempt to be a tight jumpsuit, but since I didn't get to see the clothes up close yet,
I'm not sure if it will work. The cropped and studded jacket gives it a bit of rocker chic, and the double belts add colours and definition. The colours of the bag matches with the palette of the outfit, and the suede shoes brings attention to the outfit instead.
Now that I'm done blabbering on(not exactly, since I'm doing a follow-up post on all the pieces) what's your favourite pieces in the collection and what are you gonna buy? Thoughts and opinions are appreciated in the comment below.
photos via Versace and H&M press release
