Mood board: It’s been two decades since Jennifer Lopez wore Versace’s neckline-plunging tropical print chiffon gown to the Grammy Awards. Kim Kardashian may have broken the internet, but Lopez actually made it. The cleavage-revealing, glamorous design was the most popular search that Google had ever seen, and it prompted the then burgeoning dot-com company to design Google Image Search. It’s impossible now to think of a time when fashion – be it a fashion week runway look or a red carpet gown – can’t be immediately, digitally consumed. Donatella Versace alluded to such a pre-meme time for S/S 2020, ironically creating the spring shows’ most feasted-upon viral image. Her collection was packed with body-flaunting LBD’s, S/S 2000-referencing tropical prints, neon leathers and denim, and at its finale Donatella’s voice boomed across the in-the-round runway with the words ‘Show me images of the Versace Jungle dress’, before J-Lo’s red carpet looks where projected across its walls. Next, Lopez appeared IRL in a new iteration of the design, and strutted down the runway to endless applause.
Team work: Versace teamed up with Google for her S/S 2020 show. Her show invitation was a flip book with a tropical print cover, which featured the words ‘Versace women’s S/S 2020’ slowly appearing in a Google search bar. The company provided the technology which allowed Versace’s venue to be emblazoned with those SEO-ranked J-Lo snaps. Google those words now and the brand’s S/S 2020 show spectacle is the top News listing.
Finishing touches: We’re living in a nostalgic fashion moment. Fendi has reissued its Baguette bag, Dior its Saddle bag and our desire for 1990s and Noughties fashion is insatiable. Just look to Kaia Gerber’s 18th birthday party outfit earlier this month – a custom Versace bondage look recalling a 90s design worn by her mother Cindy Crawford. The tropical prints in the brand’s spring collection, splashed across trenchcoats, mini skirts and sequin mini dresses, are sure to procure many more nostalgic moments in the future. §
