The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2026 - Issue 39

biteexhibition Gianni Versace Retrospective opens with the foundations of Versace’s imagination: the family atelier in Reggio Calabria, where he learned to cut, drape, and dream; the iconography of Catholicism, whose drama and ornamentation would echo throughout his career; the sculptural purity of Greek antiquity; the theatricality of Italian opera; and the opulent swirl of the Baroque, which he transformed into some of the most recognisable prints in fashion history. These influ‑ ences are not presented as footnotes but as living currents, flowing directly into the silhouettes and textiles that made his name. Visitors encounter more than 120 mannequins dressed in pieces spanning decades, each a clue to the de‑ signer’s restless, voracious eye. Versace’s work enters into dialogue with the worlds that shaped him. The exhibition places his creations alongside references to Botticelli, Canova, and Picasso, revealing how deeply he absorbed the language of classical beauty and modern abstraction. Yet the show also foregrounds his relationship with Pop Art, particularly the graphic punch of Andy Warhol, whose imagery Versace famously reinter‑ preted in his 1991 collection. Contemporary artists such as Julian Schnabel are also featured, underscoring Versace’s position as a designer and participant in the broader visual culture of his time. Photography also becomes a central thread. Versace under‑ stood the camera as an extension of the runway, a tool for amplifying the myth. The exhibition revisits his collabora‑ tions with the great image‑makers of fashion, Richard Ave‑ don, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Patrick Demarchelier, and Mario Testino, whose portraits helped broadcast the powerful, sensual, and unapologetically glamorous Versace woman across the world. Their images are part of the Ver‑ sace aesthetic itself, shaping how the public came to under‑ stand the brand’s seductive charge. The show also celebrates the designer’s intimate ties with popular culture. Versace was one of the first to recognise the symbiotic potential between fashion and celebrity, forg‑ ing relationships that would redefine both industries. Music icons such as Madonna, Elton John, George Michael, Grace Jones, and Prince appear throughout the exhibition, their presence a reminder of how Versace dressed bodies and en‑ tire eras of sound and spectacle. Cinema and global culture are represented through figures like Princess Diana and Elizabeth Hurley, whose 1994 safety‑pin dress remains one of the most iconic red‑carpet moments of all time. Supermodels Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Craw‑ ford, Claudia Schiffer, Karen Mulder, and Linda Evange‑ lista became the avatars of Versace’s vision. Their images and runway footage revive the electric energy of the 1990s, when Versace helped transform models into global celebri‑ ties. Videos, magazine archives, and backstage photographs capture the era’s exuberance, reminding visitors that Ver‑ sace did not solely design clothes but engineered moments that shaped the cultural imagination. The exhibition traces the evolution of his style with clarity Gianni Versace Retrospective (c) Paula Caballero - DreamRealizer