As Donatella announces her departure from the helm of Versace, we look back at 10 of her best runway moments.

1. SS98

Mere months after the tragic murder of her brother, and Versace’s founder, Gianni Versace in 1997, Donatella was thrust to the helm of the house. But the hardship didn’t stop her from delivering a sexified selection of girly garms for SS98, as tear-jerking as the showcase was. Featuring feminine suits and dresses in menswear grays, shredded strapless dresses and uber-cheeky hot pants that riffed off of Gianni’s established dress codes – sexy, sultry, audacious – as far as debuts go, this was a special one.

2. SS00

Donatella’s SS00 Versace collection came rife with slinky, Grecian-front dresses, Hawaiian prints, handkerchief tops and lush evening gowns; the kind of stuff glamour girls dream of. V-necks were ultra-low, drama was at an all-time high and sex was well and truly selling, but we, the fash pack, remember this outing not just because of its holiday wardrobe appeal, but because this was the very same runway where the would-be-iconic jungle dress came str​​utting out. Later worn by JLo to the 2000 Grammys, that green gown would supposedly inspire the launch of Google Image search. The barely-there slinkiness, a game of transparency and colour… It was a masterful catwalk moment that will forever carry the era of Noughties fashion on its back.

3. Spring 2004 Couture

In the deft hands of Donatella, Versace’s now defunct couture arm – Atelier Versace – was truly the stuff of high fashion heaven. For spring 2004, the designer served up cinched-in satin suiting with super-flared trousers, svelte metallic twinsets and beaded fringe minis. The final eveningwear looks really drove the collection’s full-on Noughties energy home though, with pleasing pastel hues, revealing cut-outs edged with crunchy crystals and plenty of slinky satin in stylings akin to something Cher might wear. Those looks are burned in our brains. Bravo!

4. SS06 Mens

For SS06, Donatella cracked open the golden Versace vault and went full-throttle on Gianni’s early-’90s decadence. The show served up silky, pastel Rococo shirts straight out of a Miami daydream and razor-sharp suiting with sleeves shoved half way up like a Wall Street bad boy might do when on vacation. Bronzed, glistening models strutted their stuff in monochrome tailoring and flashy spectator shoes, oozing pure main-character energy. They were flanked by a femme fatale or two for good measure.

5. SS13 Mens

For SS13, Donatella Versace’s man was less boy-next-door, more heavyweight champ – part Rocky, part Elvis, part Mr. T. Gianni, who once wrote in Men Without Ties, “I admire men who have the courage to become heroes.” This collection was built for exactly that.

The show kicked off with bronzed Adonises in full prize-fighter glory before exploding into a fever dream of iridescent robes, gold-buttoned tailoring and punchy pastels fit for a Miami-gladiator mashup. Between the muscle and the madness, there were some really good looks, including silky florals, filigree bombers and combat-ready canvas suits. A gladiator, a showman, a party-starter – where Donatella is concerned the Versace man does it all.

6. SS18

Somewhere between orgasm and heart attack, Versace SS18 was mega. The show opened, models came down the catwalk in fours and there were archive Versace prints galore in a tribute to Gianni Versace, who passed away 20 years ago at the time of the show. Gigi. Bella. Kaia. Taylor. Candice. Kendall. New supers. Walking in pairs, or threes. Is that Naomi, Claudia, Cindy et al, the et al being Helena Christensen and Carla Bruni?!?! Atop of boxes, like Grecian goddesses in gold. It was a full on Versace fantasy. Read the full review here.

7. SS20

As pop culture moments go, JLo recreating her iconic Y2K Grammys appearance in a Versace Jungle dress has to rank near the top. Right after Amber Valetta showed off the final fashion show look, the walls of the vast circular venue lit up. “Ok Google show me images of the Versace Jungle dress,” said Donatella Versace’s voice. Immediately the walls of the venue were filled with scrolling images of JLo at the 2000 Grammys in the famous, plunging gown. “Now show me the real thing,” demanded Donatella. Enter JLo to hysterical screaming. Read the full review here.

8. SS21

The audience, perched on the fallen pillars of Atlantis were not the usual A-listers and fashion editors, but Versace staffers who’d all returned negative Covid tests before taking their seats. The rest of us watched online, from our various states of lockdown and the show was like medicine for flagging spirits: all short skirts, toned midriffs and updated riffs on Versace’s famous sea prints, which were translated onto sassy little plissé mini dresses. Read the full review here.

9. Pre-Fall 2022

For one night, and one night only, Versace and Fendi traded places, and fashion got a new alias: Fendace. Donatella dialled Fendi up to full-throttle excess – Baroque swirls, chainmail micro-minis, gilded monograms – while Versace’s palazzo pulsed with pure spectacle. Supermodels stormed the runway, from Kate Moss to Naomi Campbell, draped in a heady mix of logos, legacy and high-octane glitz and glamour. This wasn’t just commerce; it was fashion alchemy, the ultimate identity swap and of course, a night to remember.

10. AW23

There was a Donatella-shaped hole on the Milan Fashion Week schedule this season. The hyper-blonde fashion designer and pop cultural juggernaut chose instead to stage her AW23 collection in Los Angeles. Cloqué ballgowns, cut short at the front before jutting out into long trains, walked alongside slick LBDs and men’s tuxedos which came frosted with crystals. And dressing beyond the red carpet, Donatella proposed neat tailoring with sharp shoulders and nipped-in waists – inspired by Gianni Versace’s collections from the mid-‘90s – as well as leather twinsets, car coats and slouchy boyfriend jeans. Read the full review here.

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