7 Greatest Versace Moments in Hip-Hop History
So who else got to catch the infamous Versace FW16 runway show that was held in Milan last night ?
Wasn't it just unbelievably young and fresh looking for a brand that usually excels at exuding opulence and glamour ?! I completely fell in love with the cool blues hues opening the presentation, enhanced with athleisure meet city-girl chic influences. It is pretty safe to say that sexiness is back at Versace (Thank God!), but, keeping in mind the rather hard-core, female-empowerment mood Donatella set us up with last season, it’s a different, more various kind of sexy, embracing models of a different range of shapes and ages. Another great step towards putting the brand more out there for a wider audience to indulge in.
Truth is, the Italian Fashion house is most likely one of the most accessible (yet, not necessarily affordable!) high-end luxury brands on the market, catering to not only high society, celebrities and socialites, but also to a handful (or more like two!) of notorious influencers of this generation, coming from and belonging to various social and cultural backgrounds. Once again, Versace killed it. And to welcome yet, another hit, celebrity model-mad collection from the Great Italian, I wanted to share with you my take on the greatest Versace moment in Hip-Hop history…
1. The Notorious B.I.G. "One More Chance/Stay With Me Remix" (1995)
"I'm clockin ya, Versace shades watchin' ya"
Biggie was rarely seen without a pair of Medusa's on his temples, in fact, he had dozens of the same expensive pair ! He would lose some and give some away, so he had to keep purchasing them (laughs!). Publicly praised for his role in bringing the exclusivity of the Fashion house to the streets, Biggie took it upon himself to step right out of his natural environment to become one of the first hip-hop stars, along Pac' and Diddy to regularly attend Versace’s runway presentations; a trend that has since become the norm.
2. Tupac Models at Versace Fashion Show (1996)
Speaking of which (Tupac, that is), the East Harlem rapper has not only had an everlasting influence on the landscape of current day rap and hip-hop, but also led the way for all of the stylish rappers who have followed his lead, trend-wise. Keeping in mind, this was at a time when rappers were much more concerned about how to keep their sneakers looking fresh than sitting front-row(!), Versace was one of the first Fashion houses to embrace hip-hop and benefit from the popularity of the street culture by giving away custom-made clothes and invites to shows to a handful of big names in the industry. The alliance reached its peak when Tupac, dressed in an all-gold suit and accompanied by Kidada Jones, (his girlfriend at the time) plus two bodyguards, walked the runway during Versace's 1996 menswear show in Milan.
Well done, Donatella !
3. Lil Kim's Versace Wig (2001)
Fashion Week has always the opportunity for designers to give new concepts a try. Back in 2001, it was, for Donatella Versace, the perfect excuse to flaunt her hyper-sexy, celebrity-made vision of Fashion as Hollywood A-listers lined her front row: Salma Hayek dazzled in copper paillettes, Pamela Anderson, barely contained in a sequined tube top, and of course, Lil' Kim, gushing in a platinum, Greek Key logo-ed wig, which drove the paparazzi completely crazy.
4. Kanye West "All Falls Down" (2004)
"Rollies and Pashas done drove me crazy/I can't even pronounce nothing, pass that ver-say-see!"
A clear proof that Ye can also be funny at times; “Ver-say-see” is a mispronunciation of the opulent brand (pronounced vair-sah-chay). He is basically making fun of the people wanting to buy luxury items from brands they can’t correctly pronounce the names. We can also see the similaties between Kanye's verse and a line from Joe Eszterhas' movie Showgirls in which, main character Nomi says: “Thanks. It’s a Ver-say-see!”, after being complemented on her dress ;)
5. Pharrell on Clipse's "Mr. Me Too" (2006)
Lyric: "Up in Donatella crib, me and like ten hoes"
Not everyone can claim to be part of the cool kids and be allowed to sit at the table of the Versace clan but for some, (Ahem, Pharrell Williams!) these expensive, luxurious vacations are like a week to week thing. Despite having the body of a 12-year-old boy(!), he apparently drives Italian women, including Donatella herself, crazy with his cute sneakers and skateboarding skills ;)
6. Pusha T on Kanye West's "Runaway" (2010)
"You can't blame 'em, they ain't never seen Versace sofas"
It is pretty clear that Pusha feels for a certain type of women he refers to as gold diggers; when girls who grew up under lesser conditions have had a taste of luxury, they will never want to go back to their old life. Kanye most likely was the inspiration for this bar. During the Summer of 2009, when the creative process of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy took place, all G.O.O.D music artists were trapped with Ye in his studio (read here, mansion) in Hawaii for 2-3 months during which, Ye blogged and tweeted about Versace furnitures that were decorating the property. Let’s just say he got Pusha hyped up about it ;)
7. Don C, Drake & the Versace blue silk Barocco shirt
Classic case of who wore it best: Drake on his 25th birthday party in Vegas vs. Don C, pairing the look nicely with a gold Versace bracelet. You do you think wore the haute piece best, huh ?
I'm gonna be super unbiased here(!) and I'll put my money on Drake ;)
