She’s a fashion icon and the powerhouse behind the family business with her name on it, so Donatella Versace certainly was putting on her brave face when she went make-up free in the streets of Milan on Wednesday.
Looking somewhat like a cartoon version of herself, Donatella’s face appeared bloated, puffy and almost alien-like. That’s a rather significant change from just a mere few weeks ago when the designer proudly posed with her muse Lady Gaga looking polished and perfectly made-up.
As 58-year-old Donatella strutted the streets of the Italian fashion capital in an all-black ensemble with a chunky silver necklace clearly visible, she also seemed to be wearing an intense frown on her out-of-whack face.
Looking more like an identikit mother and daughter, popstar Gaga and fashion designer Donatella arrived dressed like they had been cut from the same cloth.
‘I am honoured that my friend Lady Gaga is the face of our new Versace campaign,’ Donatella told the Independent before her recent fashion show. ‘I wanted to capture her true beauty and spirit in images that are elegant and alluring. She is like family to me, the embodiment of the Versace DNA.’
Keen Gaga fans will have noticed that the Artpop creator wore custom costumes created by the Italian fashion house for her appearance on Saturday Night Live last year, before the collaboration was announced.
‘Thank u to @versace for the beautiful custom costumes they designed for all my performances on the show! #SNLVersaceGaga am I dreaming?’ tweeted the New York native, who transformed into a showgirl in a stunning gold and sequin-embellished, fringed corset for one of her performances.
As for Gaga, she returned the love by dedicating a track to her mentor: ‘What do you wanna wear this spring? / What do you think is the new thing?’ she ask in the song from her new ARTPOP album.
‘Donatella is an incredible crazy fun pop song with really raising electronic beats that I did with Zedd,’ she told Just Jared in August. ‘It’s about being a fearless female and not caring what people say about you – being proud of who you are and walking the walk no matter what.
‘Maybe she’s a bitch, maybe she’s too skinny, maybe she’s too rich, maybe she’s too out there. Or, maybe she’s brilliant, maybe she’s intelligent, maybe she’s strong, maybe she’s everything, maybe she’s Donatella.’
Meanwhile Donatella recently announced that she doesn’t just see Gaga as an inspiration but also the Queen.
‘She is couture,’ the Italian designer told The Sunday Times about her new summer range. ‘I could put her in the colours in this collection, the lilac, pale pinks and purples, but my dream was to put her in black.
Donatella also believes the Royals are behind the rise in young and wealthy Britons coming to her with a keen interest in couture.
‘I call it the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge effect,’ she said. The designer said she would love for the Duchess to wear one of the sleek Grecian draped dresses from her summer collection.