One night with Gianni: Catania wears Versace

Yesterday saw the close of a full immersion in the world of the great designer Gianni Versace, who left us 26 years ago. His genius and the story of the great, eclectic Tailor came to life inside Palazzo Biscari, which hosted the event One night with Gianni, curated by Sabina Albano, from 19 to 22 January. Fashion shows, talks, screenings and happenings: an intense programme that the exhibition/tribute offered to the people of Catania. Visitors were able to admire clothes and objects on display from the private collection of Antonio Caravano. Telling the story of the designer were Bruno Gianesi, who joined Gianni Versace’s style office in 1984 and stayed there for sixteen years as head designer, and Franco Jacassi, owner of the Milan boutique Vintage Delirium, who supplied Versace with books and fabrics.

Catania wears Versace

And so Catania dresses itself in gold and dazzling colours, printed fabrics, masks and motifs typical of the Baroque and Greek art that defined the designer’s style. The Baroque of Versace fashion marries perfectly with the Baroque of Palazzo Biscari: a union able to captivate the visitors, who easily let themselves be carried into this journey where the art of the past mixes with pop culture.

From Naples to Catania: a travelling journey around the world

Catania as the final destination of a journey that began in 2017 at the MANN in Naples, then continued to Sweden, Berlin, Germany. In the Netherlands, at the Groninger Museum, the exhibition Gianni Versace Retrospective will run until 7 July 2023.

Medusa: between origins and Greek mythology

Of Calabrian origins, Gianni Versace was born in a land once inhabited by the ancient Greeks and scattered with archaeological finds and ruins, and has always remained fascinated by it, so much so that he chose the Medusa as the symbol of his fashion Maison. The Gorgon par excellence, a myth steeped in fascination, the biographical seal of Versace’s creations and a constant presence in the designer’s life. Gianni Versace wanted his clothes to be able to “petrify” at first sight. If even today he remains among the icons of fashion and his Maison continues to shine, we all agree that he fully succeeded.

Personal thoughts

Sicily is the land where, if you say you want to work in fashion, the first piece of advice you get is to run away to Milan, if not even abroad. And yet I, like many other talents I can say I know, am still here, looking for an alternative solution. Crazy? Maybe. But occasions like this are clear proof that we lack nothing to carry out projects of great importance. We have history, traditions, culture, creative flair. The event One night with Gianni, which ended yesterday, is, in my humble opinion, a clear representation of the potential that defines us. I found yesterday’s Closing Party well organised, well structured, as accessible as many presentations, events, exhibitions and fashion shows I have attended in Milan during Fashion Week. So, a thank you to the organiser Sabina Albano and all her staff.