DATE: Thursday, July 17, 1997               TAG: 9707170060

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Tribute

SOURCE: BY CAMMY SESSA, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   58 lines

GIANNI VERSACE: 1947-1997 DESIGNER WAS A MAN OF AWESOME VERSATILITY

THE FACT that Gianni Versace took up residence in Miami's South Beach is proof that he was more than a designer. He was a man of his time.

After all, South Beach is a place where the fantasies of the well-heeled-and-steamy set can be acted out. Here, dancing in the streets, music on the porches, silk shifts sans underwear and thong swimwear at the coffee bars are as much the norm as a Grant Wood painting is in Iowa.

Although he has homes in Italy, Versace obviously wanted to touch the magic of the young and uninhibited. He was a creative man in sync with moods.

Versace was equally at ease designing for royalty such as Diana, Princess of Wales, or rocker Bruce Springsteen. His versatility was awesome. He could put together a garish illusion of glitter and feathers for Elton John's 50th birthday bash or a sultry bias-cut gown for Elizabeth Hurley to wear at the Cannes Film Festival.

The fact that he hired Lisa Marie Presley to be one of his print models shows that he was never afraid to take chances. I think of him as the designer who took old ways and gave them new life. That was proved to me in the late 1970s when his collection was fashioned almost entirely of black leather that had the hand of silk.

It was amazing, because the buttery skins took on a sheen that looked like shiny fabric, in off-the-wall designs such as trousers, evening skirts and dressmaker suites.

That look, inspired by motorcycle gangs, exploded on the fashion scene like a loud Harley revving in the middle of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Varoom!

Versace didn't have things easy at first. He was born in Reggio di Calabria, on the toe of Italy's boot, just after World War II. His mother, Francesca, was a dressmaker and dutifully inspired her son to take up needle, thread and scissors. She sensed, perhaps, that he would be on the cutting edge.

In a country where a sense of place is important, it was tough. After all, he was competing with designers such as Valentino, Armani and Ferre who were easily accepted in European salons.

Eventually, Versace soon joined their ranks, setting up a company with his brother Santo and sister Donatella, who is also a designer and considered to be his muse.

No doubt Donatella and Santo will keep the billion-dollar Versace Co. - which sells home furnishings, accessories and fragrances, in addition to clothing - afloat. The Versace persona will not die. The name will go on as with others who are gone, such as Chanel, Halston, Perry Ellis, Anne Klein and Dior.

Whether people can pronounce it or not, Versace's name will be around for a long time. MEMO: Cammy Sessa is a retired Virginian-Pilot fashion writer. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE COLOR PHOTO

Italian designer Gianni Versace...

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu