When Dario Vitale chose the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana—an ancient, sacred space that holds works by da Vinci and Caravaggio—as the setting for his debut Versace collection, it was immediately clear that something transformative was about to unfold. The show was not merely a presentation of clothes; it was an awakening, a conversation between history and modern sensuality. The walls, the art, the hush of the gallery became co-authors of Vitale’s vision—where heritage met rebellion, and nostalgia dissolved into innovation.
Domesticity Meets Decadence
Rather than creating a sterile runway, Vitale invited the audience into a space that felt personal and disheveled—like walking into an artist’s home at dawn. The Pinacoteca’s rooms were reimagined as intimate domestic scenes: unmade beds, scattered books, half-finished sketches, wine glasses left on tables. It was lived-in glamour, a poetic mess that captured the raw pulse of real life.
This sense of imperfection ran through the collection itself. The garments celebrated beauty that felt effortless and undone—glamour that didn’t need to be staged. Vitale’s Versace woman isn’t performing; she’s existing. She’s sensual, confident, slightly chaotic, and alive.
Heritage Reimagined
Vitale didn’t mine the Versace archives for literal revivals but for emotion and energy. He resurrected the bold spirit of Gianni’s late ’80s and early ’90s creations—vibrant, fearless, unapologetically sexy—but filtered it through a modern lens. Tailoring came with exaggerated shoulders and cinched waists; leather was patched, textured, and distressed; and denim was elevated to couture status with unexpected cuts and intricate stitching.
Color was the heart of the collection. Acid greens collided with powder blues, lilacs met gold, and butter yellow flirted with electric pink. The result was a riot of expression—a rejection of the neutral minimalism that has dominated the decade. Every look demanded attention yet retained the ease of wearability.
Everyday as Spectacle
Vitale’s greatest innovation was grounding Versace’s legendary sensuality in everyday life. Gone were the towering evening gowns and overt opulence. Instead, he offered clothes meant to be lived in—cropped tees, leather vests, slashed denim, slinky knits, and unbuttoned shirts. Edges were raw, zippers deliberately visible.
The styling spoke to a new generation of Versace devotees—those who embrace imperfection as authenticity. Skin was shown, but never gratuitously. Backs were bare, waists peeked out from beneath loose shirts, and the line between casual and couture blurred beautifully.
Symbolism and Narrative
Vitale’s show carried deep artistic resonance. Inspired by Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro, Pasolini’s Teorema, and the mythic duality of Versace itself, the designer explored tension—between light and shadow, desire and restraint, the divine and the domestic. His fascination with the intersection of beauty and imperfection was evident in every fabric choice, every detail.
The domestic backdrop symbolized intrusion: the extraordinary entering the ordinary, forcing awakening. Just as Teorema disrupts the comfort of bourgeois life, Vitale’s Versace disrupts the idea of perfection in luxury.
A New Chapter for Versace
The Spring/Summer 2026 show marked a historic turning point for Versace—the first major collection not helmed by the Versace family in decades. Under Dario Vitale’s creative direction, the house evolves from iconography into intimacy.
This is Versace reimagined for a generation that craves substance beneath the shimmer—those who shop vintage, who love stories behind seams, who see fashion as both expression and memory. Vitale’s Versace is not distant glamour; it’s accessible fantasy, a life lived between the sheets, the streets, and the studio.
The Awakening
Dario Vitale’s debut collection for Versace is not just a seasonal offering—it’s a manifesto. It declares that beauty doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful. That sexiness can be thoughtful. That glamour, when lived in, becomes art.
Yes, some will miss the overt gold and Medusa-heavy theatrics. But Vitale isn’t abandoning Versace’s DNA; he’s reinterpreting it with vulnerability and intelligence. His vision is one of contradiction—raw yet refined, passionate yet poised.
At the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, amid masterpieces of the past, Vitale painted his own: a vision of modern luxury that breathes, trembles, and dares to be real.
