At Versace: Life as a Beach - New York Times

MILAN — What! No Gianni Versace patterned shirts as reflected on so many other runways? Starfish and seahorse details rather than Medusa heads?

Donatella Versace had one word to explain her reason for choosing a hard, hyper-glam vision of the brand, rather than dredging up the past on to her vision of life as a beach.

"H&M," she said, referring to the collection she has prepared for the Swedish fast-fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz that will go on sale globally in November. The focus will be on "Versace icons," as she describes the fashion house's "greatest hits," like the Gianni prints of Miami, metal studs, sexy black leather and even two long dresses.

"For them, I put together what looks, for me, very Versace today," the designer said.

But that still left plenty of choice for a collection that expressed Billy Idol's "Hot in the City," by bringing steamy summer sex into an urban atmosphere: shorts and ultra-brief dresses made of scuba divers' Neoprene; a flesh-revealing bandeau top under a yellow suit bristling with silver studs; or a pistachio ice cream green dress with knife pleats in jersey to one side.

Naturally, the models were standing on thick, transparent platform soles and the accessories followed the shell-and-seahorse decorative theme. And the pastel colors evoked a Miami beachfront.

"This is meant for glamour — it is very Versace," the designer said.