It takes confidence – a whole lot of it – to be able to take the design reins of your brother’s fashion empire less than three months after his tragic death and transform it into the global brand that it is today. It takes confidence to be able to look your personal demons in the eye and admit to the judgmental world that you are in need of help, and enrol for rehab. It takes confidence to focus on building up your business in China and Russia years before the rest of the luxuries industry caught on about those burgeoning markets. But Donatella Versace has confidence in spades.
When a woman that confident takes one of the distinguishing traits of her personality and instils it in a handbag design, what exactly does the expression of that trait look like? It looks like the DV One Bag from the autumn/winter 2017 Versace collection. The bag comes to us straight off the catwalk, branded with the artistic director’s initials.
A modern take on the structured frame bag, the DV One Bag proves that one has no need to shout loudest to make the boldest statement. The base is expertly crafted from precious box calf and the lining has a buttery feel, being lamb leather. The bag comes in three sizes and the choice of textures, colours and detailing are wide.
The bag signals the distinctive personality of each woman whose shoulder it is slung from, whether she’s inclined toward the classical, the modern or the funky.
The distinguishing features – the attention to fine detail, such as the slim red trim, a splash of bright yellow or orange on the pleated sides – give the bag a timelessness and specificity of its own, leaving each to radiate universal appeal.
The bag pays homage to the eternal symbol of Versace. The brand’s iconic head of Medusa sits proudly in the centre of the metallic clasp shaped like the Pantheon in Rome. But something is different about the placement of the symbol on this item, which is distinguished by its subtlety from the rather loud-and-out-there features Versace collections are known for.
For those longing for something others are less likely to have, Versace offers versions of the DV One Bag made of crocodile skin or decorated with floral designs in relief.
Donatella Versace set Jennifer Lopez’s career ablaze when the singer graced the red carpet at the Grammy Awards Ceremony in 2000 wearing the iconic Versace jungle-green silk chiffon gown with the plunging neckline. One can only wonder which Versace power muse – from a stable that includes Lopez and Lady Gaga, Madonna and Demi Moore – will have the DV One Bag slung from her shoulder this autumn.
“I love the DV One. It is the bag for women who know their own power, who have confidence in their strength, who compromise for no-one,” says Versace. As a woman that has done so well, whether at work or at play, Donatella Versace speaks with greater authority than any other.
