The second of May marks a big day for one particular veteran in the fashion industry: it’s Donatella Versace’s birthday. Versace is a well known name in high fashion, with their luxury piece’s often gracing the runways of Paris, London, New York and Milan, or being seen modelled by celebrities both on and off the red carpet.
It’s not just their signature patterns and bold fabrics that Versace releases; the fashion house has never shied away from the world of eyewear. To celebrate Ms Versace’s birthday, we’ll be exploring her legacy from the start of her fashion journey to now. Be sure to stick around till the end of the blog, as we’ll also be offering a special discount on all our Versace frames in her honour.
The Legacy of Donatella Versace
Born in Italy in 1955, Donatella Versace, recogniseable simply mononymously as Donatella, is the chief creative officer of the fashion house Versace - the well-known luxury brand founded back in 1987 by her brother, Gianni.
Donatella has always been surrounded by fashion growing up. Her mother was a dressmaker, supposedly one of the key inspirations for her brother’s own love of fashion, with his passion and career arguably inspiring Donatella’s own.
During the time in which she attended the University of Florence, whereby she earned a degree in Literary Studies, she would visit Gianni in Milan (where he was working at the Callaghan fashion label) and work with him at the weekends , before the Versace brand was eventually launched in 1978 - with Dontatella formally taking the position of vice-president of the company, although she would regularly collaborate with Gianna across numerous creative projects, as well as oversee her own.
The pair were incredibly close, with many considering Donatella not only to be a creative partner to Gianni, but even a muse. As well as naming her head designer for Versus, a diffusion label of the brand, he entrusted her to make the majority of decisions for the label during 1996 when he was recovering from ear cancer, amongst many other responsibilities.
She has truly always been a powerhouse behind the brand.
Unfortunately, in 1997, Gianni was unexpectedly murdered outside his home in Miami. Following his untimely death, Donatella succeeded him as head designer of Versace, whilst their brother, Antonio, became CEO.
Since then, Donatella has kept the Versace legacy going. A year after Gianni’s death, she put together her first haute couture show at the Ritz Paris and has since gone on to do many more, as well as design ad campaigns that feature many famous faces, such as Demi Moore, Lady Gaga, Madonna and more - and let’s not forget the numerous looks she’s designed to be worn at the Met Gala!
She even had a part to play in the birth of Google Images - that’s right, Donatella is responsible for designing the sheer green dress worn by Jennifer Lopez to the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000; at the time, the dress became the most popular search term on Google to the point that it inspired the search engine giant to create Google Images the following year. Everyone say thank you, Donatella!
Celebrating Donatella’s Birthday
As you can see, Donatella Versace’s legacy is undeniably great and inspiring. She’s certainly a hardworking and powerful woman and has built a lasting legacy for both herself and the Versace name in the wake of her brother’s passing.
To her, fashion isn’t simply about the clothes and accessories, it’s about artistic vision, and how to bring said vision to life in a way that innovates and inspires.
Donatella initially took control of the fashion house’s accessories back when the Versace brand was first established, with glasses coming under this category - so we have her to thank for many of their glorious frames.
As such, we think it’s only fitting to celebrate the birthday of such a notable icon in the fashion industry by promoting our collection of vintage Versace sunglasses and glasses frames.
Why Versace Vintage Eyewear?
Elegance and Excellence
If there’s one thing you can’t deny about Versace accessories, it’s both the elegance and excellence they exude. The innovative designs and attention to detail we see in their glasses is a testament to the meticulous craftsmanship that goes into each pair of frames they create - and with Donatella overseeing their production, we’d expect nothing less.
Their vintage glasses especially showcases the quality with which they are reputable for, with immaculate finishing that’s simply to be in awe of, even 40 years after their original creation!
Take a look at these cat eye frames, for example; the textured detail on the frames and arms of the sunglasses, as well as the metallic accents at the hinges are simply faultless. Not only is it impressive to create such a subtle design that radiates maximum impact, but to be able to then execute said design with such precision requires truly skillful craftsmanship.
Renowned Durability
With a high-end reputation comes high-end value. Versace as a brand is synonymous with luxury, and that’s exactly what you get from their vintage frames. And a subsequent benefit you also get? Quality.
Versace frames are built to be durable, using only the best materials and reliable Italian craftsmanship. When you buy a pair of vintage Versace frames, you can rest assured that they’re going to last you. Their glasses were designed to be worn, not simply admired (although you can certainly do both!), meaning you can wear them time and time again and they’ll still serve you as well as the very first time you tried them on.
This pair of geometric sunglasses, for example, aren’t only glamorous, but when you look at the details - the elongated nose bridge that not only offers comfort but offers better stability for the exposed lenses, the gold hardwear at the hinge of the glasses that extends down the arms - you can see that these will make for a pair of sunnies you can rely on time and time again.
Share Your Versace Eyewear Style
So, are you ready to pay homage to Donatella herself and secure your own pair of Versace glasses - a vintage pair, no less? As promised, we’re offering you an exclusive discount on all the Versace frames we stock, both glasses and sunglasses. Use the code DONATELLA20 for 20% off.
We love to see our happy customers sharing how they style their eyewear with us online, so be sure to post a pic of you loving your new Versace frames - and don’t forget to tag us!
Shop our Versace Collection today.
