Versus Fall 2011 Review
Photos: Imaxtree
Looks from the Versus Fall 2011 collection
SHOW: Versus (See the full runway collection.)
ACCESSORIES: Glitter-encrusted block heels and minaudière clutches
OVERALL TAKEAWAY: Slick, sleek, minimal chic—with a touch of glitter
Christopher Kane's show for the Versace Versus line was always going to be the week's hot ticket. With every seat overassigned and standing-room-only in back, it was certainly the most packed of Milan's presentations this season.
It may be a secondary line, but Kane is a first-rate talent and he undoubtedly delivered. The collection took Versus in a new direction, out of the playful, youth-oriented market he has been mining for a few seasons now and into some slick, hard-edged tailoring.
The corset was the key motif: dresses carved out at the midriff and inset with sheer waspie girdles. If that sounds like it could have looked gimmicky—or even worse, unflattering—you couldn't be more wrong. It looked sophisticated and sexy, marching out in uncompromising black look after look.
Lest you suspect that was too minimal for the Milano bastion of glitz, Kane chose to whirl glitter across his second act, in chessboard-graphic patterns of emerald green, amethyst, and silver—like a Versace evening gown circa 1980. It looked sensational too, and when fused with that see-through corsetry, the combination was dynamite. In fact, it was just the sort of thing you hoped Kane would do with Versace—if he ever gets his hands on it.
SEE THE FALL 2011 RUNWAY COLLECTIONS.
