Gianni Versace

Source

• Born: 2 December 1946
• Birthplace: Reggio Calabria, Italy
• Died: 15 July 1997 (shot to death)
• Best Known As: The superstar Italian fashion designer who was killed in Miami Beach

Years of designing for the theater earned him a respectable reputation in the fashion industry, but it was his collaborations with American photographer Richard Avedon that helped Gianni Versace become one of the world's elite designers. His 1982 collection introduced metallic garments that would become his trademark, and his elaborate stage costumes for Elton John in the late '80s helped cement his reputation as one of the beautiful people. At the time of his murder in 1997, Versace had an extensive empire that included boutiques, fragrances and household products. He was shot to death outside his Miami Beach home, the last victim in the killing spree of fugitive Andrew Cunanan. Versace's sister Donatella succeeded him as head of the fashion house.

For more information on Gianni Versace, visit Britannica.com.

One of the most innovative fashion designers of the 20th century, Gianni Versace (1946-1997) startled the world with his clothes made from metal, plastic, and leather, and delighted ballet and opera lovers with his stunning theatrical costumes. Versace socialized with celebrities, who loved and wore his expensive clothing. The world was shocked when the designer was murdered outside his Florida mansion in 1997.

Gianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946 in the industrial town of Reggio di Calabria, in southern Italy. His parents, Antonio, an appliance salesperson, and Francesca, a dressmaker and clothing store owner, had three children-Santo, Gianni, and Donatella. Gianni Versace spent much time in his mother's shop as a child. He watched her make clothes and admired the chic women who came into the shop. He knew at a young age that he would become a fashion designer. Versace also drew inspiration from the area where he lived. He often wandered among the ancient Greek and Roman ruins, which would later provide him with themes for his clothing. Although he loved clothes, art, and music, Versace studied architectural drafting. At the age of 18, while he was in school, he also worked for his mother as a buyer, going to fashion shows throughout Europe.

Made a Name for Himself

Versace started designing clothes when he was 22. A local garment maker hired him to design a collection that was sold in Francesca Versace's store. Fashion models from Rome and Milan came to southern Italy to perform in runway shows. Soon Versace's name was heard in Milan, the center of Italian fashion.

On February 5, 1972, Versace flew north to Milan. Salvatore Chiodini and Ezio Nicosia of the Florentine Flowers clothing mill had asked Versace to hurry there to design a collection that had to be rushed. Versace designed some "instant" summer wear, which was so successful that he earned not only his four million lira wage, but also a Volks-wagen convertible. He then designed Florentine Flowers' fall and winter collections.

During the early 1970s, "Made in Italy" clothing was just beginning to surface. Milan had just become the fashion capital and was the logical place for the emerging ready-to-wear industry. Chiodini and Ezio Nicosia's hiring of Versace marked a turning point in the fashion industry. They realized that clothes could not continue to be anonymous. Increasingly sophisticated buyers demanded a personal touch.

The work for Florentine Flowers was Versace's first independent assignment. Shortly thereafter he designed for De Parisini of Santa Margherita. In 1973, Versace designed women's ready-to-wear clothing for Callaghan, known for its knitwear and Genny, which featured leather and suede. In 1974, Versace created and developed his own line-Complice. Although he wasn't yet working under his own name, Versace already had his own label. Under the Complice name, Versace designed an all-leather collection. He was one of the few designers to feature leather at this time.

A Family Business

In 1976, Santo Versace, Gianni's older brother, left his management consultant's practice in Reggio di Calabria and moved to Milan. Santo had earned a degree in business administration from the University of Messina in 1968. He and his designer brother set out to create the Gianni Versace label. In 1977, Donatella Versace Beck joined the business. Her husband, Paul Beck, also worked for the company, overseeing the menswear line. At the beginning of 1978, the company opened its first Versace shop in Via Spiga, Milan, but it sold only Genny, Callaghan, and Complice lines as Versace's first fall women's collection had not yet been released. Versace's first signature collection was presented in March 1978. His first menswear collection followed in September. The collection was characterized by a stylish nonchalance and the use of pastel colors.

Versace decided to remain independent, becoming one of the few big labels in control of the entire product cycle, from design to retailing. Creative and marketing operations were handled through the company. On the manufacturing side, the company had a controlling interest in its production facility. Control of manufacturing was necessary in order to monitor quality and image. Eighty percent of the styles that reached the runway were produced by Alias. Retailing through boutiques was handled directly for image purposes in Paris, London, New York, Madrid, and Milan or through exclusive franchising and multi-label boutiques. To smooth distribution, buyers viewed the collections and placed their wholesale orders out of the company's Milan showroom. Retail operations were franchised.

Awards and Artistry

In 1979, Versace, who was always greatly concerned with his image, began a collaboration with the American photographer Richard Avedon. In 1982, Versace won the first of a series of awards, "L'Occhio d'Oro," (Golden Eye) for the best fashion designer of the 1982-83 fall/winter collection for women. In this collection he displayed his famous metal garments, now a classic feature of his fashion. His metal mesh dress was inspired by the punk fashions he saw in London in 1980. To develop the mesh material, Versace worked with German engineers. In later collections, metal dresses were made in bright colors. In the 1980s, Versace introduced another technological innovation, the bonding of leather to rubber using lasers.

That same year, Versace began collaborating with the Teatro alla Scala and designing costumes for the Richard Strauss' ballet "Josephlegende." Versace felt that his involvement with costume design gave his clothing a new attitude. In his ready-to-wear line, many of his clothes reflected those needed for dance, allowing unrestricted movement. In 1983, at the show "E' Design," Versace displayed the synthesis of his technological research. The following year, Versace designed the costumes for Donizetti's opera Don Pasquale and for the ballet Dyonisos choreographed by the Belgian, Maurice Bejart. Bejart created a triptych dance in honor of the launch of the fragrance for men, "Versace l'Homme."

The National Field Museum in Chicago presented a major retrospective show of Versace's work in 1986. Versace designed the costumes for Richard Strauss' opera, Salome in 1987. On April 7, the book Versace Teatro was published. Two months later, Versace went to Russia with Bejart, for whom he designed the costumes of the Ballet du XX Siecle. In September 1988, Versace opened a 600-square-meter showroom in Madrid, his first boutique in Spain.

In 1989, the film The Fortune of Friendshipwas shown. It recounted the relationship between Versace and Maurice Bejart. In Milan, Versace presented "Versus," a new line for young people, which explored informal themes and served as an alternative to so-called conventional ways of dressing.

On October 21, 1990, the San Francisco opera season opened with Richard Strauss' Capriccio, with costumes designed by Versace. The following year the fragrance "Versus" was debuted and "Signature," Versace's classic line, was launched. Elton John, an ardent admirer of Versace, began his world tour for which Versace designed the costumes. In New York, for the Italian Trade Commission, Versace inaugurated the charity Gala "Rock'N Rule," with profits given to the Amfar anti-AIDS Association. A retrospective show at the Fashion Institute of Technology featured Versace's work.

The "Home Signature" line was launched in 1993, which included dinnerware, carpets, quilts, and cushions. Versace's spring collection for 1993 shocked many with its sadomasochistic styles. In 1994, the book The Man Without Tie came out. In 1995, Versace and Elton John held a party for the Elton John Aids Foundation. Versace opened his world flagship store in a 28,000-square-foot restored Vanderbilt townhouse on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in 1996.

A Violent End

Versace owned four homes around the world, including a mansion on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, a villa on Lake Como in Italy, and a 15th-century palazzo in downtown Milan. He enjoyed listening to music and reading, especially biographies of musicians.

On July 15, 1997, Versace was shot in front of his Miami Beach, Florida home by Andrew Cunanan, who had crossed the U.S. on a killing spree. It is thought that Versace and Cunanan met in San Francisco when Versace was there designing costumes for the opera. After a private service in Miami, Versace's remains were cremated and brought back to Italy by his siblings. In Milan, 2,000 mourners attended a memorial mass held in the city's gothic cathedral. Many celebrities attended the funeral including Princess Diana, Elton John, Versace's favorite supermodel, Naomi Campbell, and Maurice Bejart. Versace's fashion colleagues paid their respects, including his archrival Giorgio Armani. Versace's companion Antonio D'Amico also attended.

The three Versace siblings controlled the company, with Gianni owning 45 percent, Santo 35 percent, and Donatella 20 percent. She had taken over more of the designing in the last five years of her brother's life because of his bout with cancer of the ear. Four days before his murder, Versace signed a contract to take his company public. Versace left his shares in the company, worth a reported $800 million, to his 11-year-old niece, Allegra, and a $28,500 monthly allowance to his companion.

In her book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History, journalist Maureen Orth claimed that Versace had the AIDS virus when he was murdered. The Versace family won a legal battle in 1998 to exclude the designer's medical history from the police report on the crime. The family called the allegation in Orth's book an invasion of privacy and a "scurrilous attack on the reputation of someone who was a victim of a horrible crime and is not here to defend himself."

Versace Remembered

Robin Givhan wrote of Versace in the Washington Post, "Designer Gianni Versace is being mourned by the fashion industry as a fallen titan. Before Versace, there were no supermodels, no celebrities at shows and in advertising, no screaming fans. Fashion was not entertainment, it was merely clothes. … Over time, his work was celebrated not only in fashion annals for its brashness but also in museums because of the ways it reflected the culture and re-energized the Old World artistry of the … seamstress of the couture. … Versace understood the importance of marketing. He loved celebrities and knew that they not only attracted the attention of the press, but they also helped to set trends."

An exhibition celebrating the major themes of Gianni Versace's career in high fashion took place at The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from December 11, 1997 to March 22, 1998. The exhibition began with "Versace: The Landmarks," a mini-retrospective of the designer's major themes, including the prints, the white suit on the cover of Time magazine on April 17, 1995, and Elizabeth Hurley's safety-pin dress. In the second gallery, the theme "Versace and Art" traced his inspirations from Warhol and modern abstract art. The third and largest gallery, "Versace and History" revealed his appreciation of ancient Greece and Rome, Byzantine crosses, madonnas, 18th-century court-style silhouettes, and 1920s and 1930s themes of the Vienna Secession, Vionnet, and Madame Grès. "Versace and Experiment" in the fourth gallery presented new materials, including plastic dresses, leather, including the 1992 "bondage" collection, and the metal-mesh dresses. The final gallery, "Versace: The Dream," featured clothing for the theater. Richard Martin, curator of The Costume Institute called the exhibit an "extraordinary reckoning, a moment of assessment and farewell."

Further Reading

Martin, Richard and Grace Mirabella, Versace (Universe of Fashion), Vendome Press, 1997.

Mason, Christopher, Undressed: The Life and Times of Gianni Versace, Little Brown, 1999.

Orth, Maureen, Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History, Delacorte Press, 1999.

Turner, Lowri, Gianni Versace: Fashion's Last Emperor, Trans-Atlantic, 1998.

People, July 21, 1997.

Time, July 28, 1997; October 20, 1997.

"Gianni Versace (1946-1997)," The Costume Institute,http://costumeinstitute.org/versace.htm (March 17, 1997).

"The Versace Story," Modaonline,http://www.moda.italynet.com/www.modaonline.it/STILISTI/VERSACE/story.htm (March 17, 1997).

• Born: Reggio Calabria, Italy, 2 December 1946.
• Education: Studied architecture, Calabria, 1964-67.
• Family: Brother Santo, sister Donatella, and four nieces and nephews.
• Career: Designer and buyer in Paris and London, for his mother's dressmaking studio, 1968-72; freelance designer, Callaghan, Complice, Genny, Milan, 1972-77; formed own company, Milan, 1978; showed first womenswear collection, 1978, first menswear collection, 1979; signature fragrance introduced, 1981; home furnishings collection launched, 1993; launched Blonde fragance and opened New York flagship store, 1996; introduced V2 diffusion line for 1997; firm continued after his death by siblings Donatella and Santo; Donatella took over designing duties, 1997; formed joint venture with Sunland Group for luxury hotels, 1999; plans to take the firm public, 2001-02.
• Exhibitions: Galleria Rizzardi, Milan, 1982; Studio La Cittá, Verona, 1983; Galerie Focus, Munich, 1983; Gianni Versace: dialogues de mode, Palais Galliera, Paris, 1986; retrospective, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, 1992-93; Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.
• Awards: Occhio d'Oro award, Milan, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1991; Cutty Sark award, 1983, 1988; CFDA International award, 1993.
• Died: 15 July 1997, in Miami, Florida.
• Company Address: Via Gesu, 20121 Milan, Italy.
• Company Website:www.versace.it.

Gianni Versace's work was both metaphorical opera and real clothing, the first in its larger-than-life exuberance and design bravura and the latter in its unpretentious, practical application to the comfort of the wearer and the expressiveness of the body. Versace made all the world a stage for flamboyant and fascinating costume with the knowledgeable pageantry of the Renaissance, a Fellini-like sensuality of burlesque, and the brilliant notes of operatic color and silhouette. Richly cultivated in historical materials and vividly committed to the hedonism of late 20th-century culture, Versace created distinctive, at-the-edge designs that achieved the aesthetic limit of the avant-garde and the commercial success of viable apparel.

Versace expressed his admiration for Poiret, the fashion revolutionary who in a brief éclat of design genius combined a theatrical fantasy with legerdemain eclecticism. Similarly, Versace functioned as a kind of impresario to his own style, commanding authority over his image and advertising, menswear, womenswear, and accessories. His apparel design was characterized by a particular interest in bias, itself a means of revealing the body in dramatic, sexy clothing for women. His embroideries (and metal mesh) harkened back to the art déco, but were as mod as magazine covers. Likewise, his fascination with black-and-white grids and alternations recalled the 1920s and 1930s.

His abundant swathings suggested Vionnet, Madame Grés, and North Africa. Line was important, with many Versace suits, dresses, and coats marked by lines as if the bound edges of fabric would in outline define waistlines, shoulders, or center front. Like any great showman on stage, Versace was also concerned with metamorphic clothing; that which could be worn or perceived in several different ways. In these respects, it is clear the Milanese designer looked to Tokyo as well as to Milan and Paris. His metallics, trousers for women (ranging from voluminous pantaloons to cigarette-trouser leg wrappings), leather for women, and chunky, glittery accessories have created an image of women as a cross between Amazon and siren.

The boldness of silhouette in his womenswear was only reinforced in his work with photographers to represent the clothing, generally against a pure white field to grant further starkness and aggressiveness. But, in person and in the individual item, Versace's clothing was far less diva and dominatrix than it might seem. Versace's jewel-like colors, his geometric line in pattern, his recurrent fascination with the asymmetrical collars engendered by bias, and his flamboyant juxtapositions of pattern were all elegant traits. Likewise, Versace employed luxurious textiles, classical references, bias cut, and such combinations as leather reversible to wool, and embroidery-encrusted bodies and soft flowing skirts, to his unmistakable fashion.

Versace's menswear was also accented by leather, body wrapping for sensuality, audacious silhouette, and oversizing for comfort. Even in menswear, Versace played with asymmetry and the bias-influenced continuous rotation around the body, rather than a disjunctive front and back. Versace's menswear in particular was sometimes criticized as being futuristic with its big shoulders and technological detailing seeming to suggest science fiction. Yet Versace employed the most elegant menswear materials in a loose, capacious drape defying any space-age references. His designs did, however, recall a futurist ideal of clothing fully realized for the first time with sensuality and practicality.

Versace was an encyclopedist of classical tradition. His insistence upon directing all aspects of his fashion, from publicity and his books to the exhibitions interpreting his work reflected a consummate craftsman. Versace was neither a secluded scholastic, though, nor merely the glittery dresser of stars and celebrities some have perceived. The truth was somewhere in between, in a design imagination of brilliant theatrical insight, probing and analytical interest in bias, and a desire to reconcile the use of fashion history with making apparel appropriate for today.

After overcoming cancer of the lymph nodes, Versace was facing life with renewed vigor. Yet on the morning of 15 July 1997, a gunman named Andrew Cunanan, after a multi-state killing spree, shot Versace on the steps of his Miami home. The fashion industry united in outrage and grief and Versace stores were shuttered for a day in his memory. Donatella and Santo vowed to carry on in their brother's name, releasing a statement that read, "It must be remembered that Gianni Versace stood for the future, and so, of course, we stand dedicated to the future of our company." And so they soldiered on, building the Versace business to new heights amidst the tragedy.

By the year 2000, three years after Gianni's death, the Versace empire had been reorganized, streamlined, and poised for a possible initial public offering. Though Gianni was prepared to take the firm public in 1997, the plans had been tabled after his death. On the design front, Donatella's expertise grew with each succeeding collection, maintaing the Versace sensationalism and colorful style. In addition to the evolving apparel and accessories offered with the Versace label, the firm's name became associated with luxury hotels and resorts through an alliance with the Sunland Group. Gianni's former South Beach home in Miami, was also turned into a hotel.

Publications

By Versace:

Books
• Vanitas: lo stile dei semsi, with Omar Calabrese, Rome 1991.
• Versace Signatures, with Omar Calabrese, Rome 1992.
• Gianni Versace, with Bruce Weber, Milan, 1994.
• Men Without Ties, with Hannah Barry, New York, 1994.
• Rock & Royalty, Milan, 1996.
• The Art of Being You, with Germano Celant, New York & Milan, 1997.

On Versace:

Books
• Alfonso, Maria-Vittoria, Leaders in Fashion: i grandi personaggi della moda, Bologna, 1983.
• Giacomondi, Silvia, The Italian Look Reflected, Milan, 1984.
• Soli, Pia, Il genio antipatico [exhibition catalogue], Venice, 1984.
• Palais Galliera Musée de la Mode, Gianni Versace: dialogues de mode [exhibition catalogue], Milan, 1986.
• Pasi, Mario, Versace Teatro (two volumes), Milan, 1987.
• Bocca, Nicoletta, and Chiara Buss, Gianni Versace: l'abito per pensare, Milan, 1989.
• Martin, Richard, and Harold Koda, Infra-Apparel, New York, 1993.
• ——, Orientalism: Visions of the East in Western Dress [exhibition catalogue], New York, 1994.
• Turner, Lowri, Gianni Versace: Fashion's Last Emperor, London, 1997.
• Martin, Richard, Gianni Versace, [exhibition catalogue], Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1997.
• Martin, Richard, and Sophie Léchauguette, Gianni Versace, Paris, 1997.
• Avedon, Richard, The Naked & the Dresses: Twenty Years of Versace, London, 1998.
• Casadio, Mariuccia and Samuele Mazza, Versace, London, 1998.
• Mason, Christopher, Undressed: A Biography of Gianni Versace, London, 1999.
• White, Nicola, Versace, London, 2000.

Articles
• Carlsen, Peter, "Gianni Versace: Disciplined Negligence," in GQ, August 1979.
• Withers, Jane, "The Palace of Versace," in The Face (London), December 1984.
• Simpson, Helen, "Gianni Versace: ordito e trama," in Vogue (Milan), October 1985.
• Petkanas, Christopher, "A Dialogue with Gianni Versace," in WWD, 22 October 1986.
• Del Pozo, Silvia, "Gianni Versace: l'immigrato eccellente," in L'Uomo Vogue (Milan), October 1987.
• Phillips, Kathy, "The Satanic Versace," in You, magazine of the Mail on Sunday (London), 19 March 1989.
• Martin, Richard, "Sailing to Byzantium: A Fashion Odyseey, 1990-91," in Textile & Text, 14 February 1991.
• Servin, James, "Chic or Cruel? Gianni Versace's Styles Take a Cue from the World of S&M," in the New York Times, 1 November 1992.
• Morris, Bernadine, "The Once and Future Versace," in the New York Times, 8 November 1992.
• "Gianni Versace," in Current Biography, April 1993.
• Schiff, Stephen, "Lunch with Mr. Armani, Tea with Mr. Versace, Dinner with Mr. Valentino," in the New Yorker (New York), 7 November 1994.
• Forden, Sara Gay, "Very Versace: Making America No. 1," in WWD, 1 November 1994.
• Gandee, Charles, "Versace's Castle in the Sand," in Vogue, December 1994.
• Menkes, Suzy, "Versace's Pastiche Amid Couture Upheaval," in the International Herald Tribune, 23 January 1995.
• Spindler, Amy M., "Versace: Clean and Mean for Fall," in the New York Times, 8 March 1995.
• "Gianni Versace: The Right Stuff," in WWD, 8 March 1995.
• Van Lenten, Barry, "Gianni's American Dream," in WWD, 10 April 1995.
• "Gianni vs. Giorgio: Is fashion dead?" in WWD, 11 September 1996.
• Sullivan, Ruth, "High Fashion and a Head for Figures (Profile of Santo Versace)," in the European 12 June 1997.
• Porter, Henrym and Susannah Barron, "A Tribute to the King of Glamour," in The Guardian, 16 July 1997.
• Marlow, Michael, et al., "Fashion World Mourns Loss of a Leader," in DNR, 16 July 1997.
• Socha, Miles, "The Versace Legacy," in DNR, 16 July 1997.
• Reed, Paula, et al., "Fashion Victim," in the European, 17 July 1997.
• Forden, Sara Gay, "Versace: The Milan Farewell," in WWD, 23 July 1997.
• Bellafante, Ginia, "La Dolce Vita: Gianni Versace," [cover story] in Time, 28 July 1997.
• Foley, Bridget, "Donatella's First Collection," in WWD, 1 October 1997.
• Costin, Glynis, "Gianni Versace: A Reflection on Pride, Honesty, and Women," in WWD, 13 September 1999.
• Spindler, Amy M., "The Great Gianni," in the New York Times, 18 February 2001.
• "The Renaissance of Gianni Versace," in the Economist, 7 April 2001.

— Richard Martin; updated by Sydonie Benét

This article is about the fashion designer. For his company, see Versace.

Gianni Versace
Born	December 2, 1946(1946-12-02) Reggio di Calabria, Italy
Died	July 15, 1997 (aged 50) Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Nationality	Italian
Labels	Versace

Gianni Versace (December 2, 1946 – July 15, 1997) was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni Versace S.p.A., an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films, and was a friend of Elton John, Sting, and Princess Diana among many others. Openly gay, Versace and his companion Antonio D'Amico were regulars on the international party scene. Versace was murdered outside his Miami home at the age of 50 by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Personal life 3 Death and legacy 4 Filmography 4.1 Costume designer 4.2 Actor 5 Awards and tributes 6 Notes and references 7 External links

Early life

Gianni Versace was born in Reggio di Calabria, Italy, on December 2, 1946, where he grew up with his older brother Santo and younger sister Donatella, along with their father and dressmaker mother, Francesca. An older sister, Tina, died at the age of 12 from an improperly treated tetanus infection.^[1]

Versace began his apprenticeship at a young age, helping his mother find precious stones and gold braid with which to embroider dresses. He studied architecture before moving to Milan at the age of 26 to work in fashion design.

In the mid-1970s, his knits drew the attention of head-hunters at Genny and Callaghan. Complice hired him to design their leather and suede collections, and a few years later, encouraged by his success, Versace presented his first signature collection for women at the Palazzo della Permanente Art Museum of Milan. His first menswear collection followed in September of the same year. After presenting his menswear collection he joined Jorge Saud, who would later also become a partner with Giorgio Armani. The first boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978. He was influenced by Andy Warhol,^{[citation needed]} Ancient Roman and Greek art as well as modern abstract art.

Personal life

Versace met his partner Antonio D'Amico, a model, in 1982. The couple embarked on a long-term relationship that lasted 15 years, until Versace's murder. During that time D'Amico worked as a designer for the company, becoming head designer for Istante and Versus Sport. Versace's will left D'Amico with a pension of 50 million lire (about $26,000) a month (for life), and the right to live in any of Versace's homes in Italy and the United States. D'Amico now runs his own fashion company.

Versace was known for doting upon his nieces and nephews: Santo's two children, Francesca and Antonio Versace, and Donatella's two children, Allegra and Daniel Versace.

Death and legacy

Versace's Miami Beach mansion

Versace was shot dead on July 15, 1997, aged 50, on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion as he returned from a morning walk on Ocean Drive. It was his custom to take a stroll to a coffee shop that received international periodicals, to read the Italian-language newspapers. He was murdered by Andrew Cunanan, who used the same gun to commit suicide on a boat several days later.^[2] Versace's body was cremated and his ashes returned to the family's estate near Cernobbio, Italy.

In September 1997, it was announced Versace's brother, Santo, and Jorge Saud would serve as the new CEOs of Gianni Versace S.P.A. Versace's sister, Donatella, became the new head of design.

In his will, Gianni Versace left 50 percent of his fashion empire to his niece Allegra Versace, daughter of Donatella. Her younger brother, Daniel, inherited Versace's rare artwork collection. Allegra inherited this stake, worth around half a billion dollars, when she turned 18 in 2004. She has the final say in the Versace clothing line.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Costume designer

• Ballet for tino (1997)
• Judge Dredd (1995)
• Shakespeare Shorts (1996, TV series)
• Showgirls (1995)
• Kika (1993)
• Vacanze di Natale (also known as Christmas Vacations, 1991)
• Cin cin (also known as A Fine Romance, 1991)
• As Long as It's Love (1989)
• Miami Vice (1989, TV series)

Actor

• Catwalk (1996)
• Spiceworld (1997) - Scenes were deleted because of his death before the premiere.

Awards and tributes

• Versace was awarded the American Fashion Oscar on February 1, 1993.
• President of the Italian Republic Francesco Cossiga, conferred the decoration of Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana on him on January 24, 1986.
• Elton John dedicated his 1997 album The Big Picture to Versace.
• In July 2007, a specially written ballet was performed in La Scala, Milan, Italy to mark the 10th anniversary of the fashion designer's death. Thanks Gianni, With Love was put together by French choreographer Maurice Bejart, for whom Versace designed many stage costumes.

Notes and references

1. ^ Collins, Lauren (September 24, 2007), "Mondo Donatella", The New Yorker: 158 
2. ^ "Cunanan: more questions than answers". CNN. 1997-07-25. http://edition.cnn.com/US/9707/25/cunanan/index.html. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 

External links

• Gianni Versace's Biography
• Official website of the Versace company
• Gianni Versace - Biography
• Article on Gianni Versace's life in Miami Beach with photos
• Versace House on Ocean Drive
• Google Maps Street View: Gianni Versace's house as seen from Ocean Drive
• Gianni Versace at Find a Grave

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Persondata
NAME	Versace, Gianni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Italian couturier
DATE OF BIRTH	December 2, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH	Reggio Calabria, Italy
DATE OF DEATH	July 15, 1997
PLACE OF DEATH	Miami Beach, Florida

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