There was a major change in focus at the house of Versace, where the models, mood, materials and method were all radically altered in the spring 2011 men's runway collection by this label.
Where before Versace's runway male models were like hunky, macho types, this Saturday in Milan they were nearer to Indie band guitarists, altogether artier more sensitive figures.
The collection presented in Versace's custom-built theater was also a long way from the biker chic of recent Versace men's shows. Featuring lots of skinny pants and short jackets, the clothes referenced the optimistic days of 1960s Britain, the kind of looks young men bought on London's famed shopping street, Carnaby Street.
Motorbike jackets with chains and metal frills, and rock band tuxedos with lots of contrasting piping on the lapels summed up the new mood. Pants were taught at the ankle, few models wore socks.
One also had to admire the completeness of the Versace wardrobe that extended to a snappy finale where graphic black-and-white zigzag prints were used in silk boxers, pajamas and patrician dressing gowns.
"I wanted a whole new casting and a fresher younger take for men," said Donatella Versace, attired in a black sleeveless leather sheath in the post-show backstage.
Also impressing were two-tone rocker shoes, in mixes of faux black crocodile and faded gray suede, cut in that pointy shape, which British shoemakers refer to as winkle-pickers. There were lots of silvery waistcoats, and red-and-black stripe jackets, very theatrical, but always plausible.
A faintly ruffian air wafted through the whole proceedings, with just the right amount of rebellious rocker looks to tempt a new, younger customer into Versace stores.
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