Jessica's Blog

 

Jennifer Lopez, wearer of one of the most precariously positioned frocks in history – courtesy of Versace, naturally – knows how to make an entrance. It was Oscar night 2000 and J Lo, then a nascent film star, astounded students of Newton’s theory of gravity by wearing a dress so skimpy it appeared to be held on by sheer willpower.

 

Lopez made the record books that night – for the dress if not her performance. Tonight, as befits a lapse of 14 years, she was more modestly kitted out in a white tuxedo suit straight from the autumn/winter Atelier Versace collection – the one she was here in Paris to inspect.

 

La Lopez still pulls on the Versace armour to go into red carpet battle. As do Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Jessica Chastain and Uma Thurman, all of who have worn the label in the past 12 months.

http://www.graziadress.com/one-shoulder-homecoming-dresses

 

Cynics might say it’s the reliable skirt slashes and ample cleavage enhancement that keep them coming back for more. That doesn’t stop Donatella Versace from wanting to re-invent, within her own boundaries.

 

Tonight she sent a collection of “deconstructed couture” down the catwalk. In spirit it was part anarchic, part Cecil Beaton. In practice, this meant flamboyantly voluminous duchesse satin ballgowns that had been dipped in silicone to lend them a rubberized look (and feel).

 

Meticulously constructed around Donatella Versace’s beloved corsets, layers seemed to have been deliberately stripped off and sleeves rolled back until the fabric almost appeared to be peeling. But the big challenge was the one- legged trousers that accompanied many of them. Oh well. Torn between wearing a tux or a puffball? Now you can do both. Simultaneously.

 

Ballgowns have certainly changed their remit since the days of Charles James, the grand British-born couturier who is the subject of a prestigious exhibition in New York this year. "I was amazed by the exhibition,” says Versace, “and inspired by the expression he found in fabric. It led me to think about new volumes, but through the eyes of Versace."

 

There is never anything entirely decorous in any of her outfits. Even the pieces that seemed to conceal, ultimately revealed. Slit at the front, dresses and skirts concealed one leg in a trouser and left the other unhindered by any fabric. Strips of vinyl were hand-stitched onto sheer coats, emphasising their dramatic shape while hinting at lightness. There was no doubting the work that went into this.

 

There was no shortage of classic Versace bling either, with gold buckles incorporated into the shoulders of cut-away jackets or the hips of skirts. The highlight, literally, however, was the Swarovski mesh that was layered over some of the dresses. The finest mesh Swarovski has ever produced, Versace is the first house to deploy it. Judging by the highly flattering flash effect it created around the models’ faces – your very own light reflector – it won’t be the last.

Also Read: http://www.graziadress.com/junior-homecoming-dresses