On the sunny morning we meet in her penthouse offices on the 10th floor of the shiny new Versace HQ in Milan, Donatella Versace is giving it the full works. Superficially, at least.
On closer acquaintance, however, there are subtle signs she’s moved on from the cartoon Donatella who was such a tabloid staple. The hair is still a knowingly unnatural shade of platinum, but it’s shoulder rather than waist length. The diamond slabs that used to adorn her knuckles have been replaced by some kind of “spiritual” Chinese bracelet (truth be told, she’s bored with it but can’t get it off). The tan is more Biedermeier oak than mid-century teak and the tight, tight black clothes of yore have been replaced by a twinset and pearls.
Actually, that last bit isn’t true. The black trousers are still tight, though flared from the knee. On top, she’s wearing a floaty purple chiffon blouse. On her feet – it would be disappointing if otherwise – five-inch heels. This is Donatella at 68: thoughtful, self-deprecating, but giving no quarter to the Grow Old Gracefully lobby.
What must it be like to be the very public face of a brand that’s always set a premium on an explicitly youthful sexiness? The answer’s not simple. While she was always shy, Donatella didn’t exactly shun the limelight – unlike her daughter Allegra, now 36, who works for the company strictly behind the scenes. But in the early noughties, with celebrity magazines prowling for humiliating pictures of celebrities, Donatella was hunted.
Her response? To get more tanned, more tweaked – and back on the exercise bike. “I had a problem for so long with people looking at me and being judgmental. It’s a lot to take in. For years, I wanted to be invisible … but I’m a public figure for this company. I get that.”
Donatella Versace with supermodels (left to right), Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen,…
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