Paris Haute Couture Week: The Many Sides of the Atelier Versace Woman

​The Versace woman has many facets — a sexy, modern, sensual and powerful woman on the go, exuding femininity in the extreme. This was captured in the label’s latest catwalk show, Sunday, July 3, on the first day of Paris Haute Couture Week in the French capital.

Versace has always celebrated women, but this autumn/winter 2016-2017 haute couture collection honours them in the finest of ways. Sexy, powerful and modern, all at the same time, the Atelier Versace woman is at ease with her femininity and isn’t afraid to show her true colours or step out with hastily tied up hair.

This absolute form of femininity is translated into a host of details in Atelier Versace’s haute couture collection. Cutouts are used to highlight décolletés, for example, while slits reveal a flash of sky-high legs. Shoulders are bared with many asymmetrical cuts, waists are cinched with wide belts, and hips are more marked than usual.

Daytime looks have an almost nonchalant feel, with jackets falling deliberately from shoulders and garments allowing free, easy movement.

Silhouettes become more structured in the evening, however, bringing a feeling of power. Versace uses plenty of draping — which appears fixed in place — and complex techniques requiring specific skills and high-level expertise. The label uses a clever mix of textures, with bows and knots, and pleats that interweave as they flow across gowns. Pleats, in particular, form waves, flowing over silhouettes before finally tapering out as fringing at the bottom of gowns.

The collection includes plenty of dresses, by turns elegant, sensual and more extravagant in design. Plus, some are worn over pleat-front pants. These haute couture pieces are finished with refined embellishments, such as Swarovski crystals, which bring a sparkling touch to a black cashmere evening coat.

Femininity is amped up further through accessories — sky-high heels, in particular, which heighten the feeling of power that the collection’s looks exude. Twisted leather bows bring a final refined touch to Versace’s heels.