Pat McGrath (born 1966) is a British make-up artist. She has been called the most influential make-up artist in the world by Vogue magazine and other commentators.^[1][2][3]

Biography[link]

McGrath was raised in Northampton, England by her mother Jean McGrath, a Jamaican immigrant.^[1] McGrath credits her mother for her love of fashion and make-up, saying that Jean would comment on clothes as they watched classic movies together.^[4] McGrath has no formal training in fashion or make-up, having completed only an art foundation course at a Northampton college.^[1] Of her career, she has said, "I really love being a makeup artist. It never gets mundane or predictable and every shoot and show is different."^[5]

McGrath's career breakthrough came while working with Edward Enninful (then fashion editor of i-D magazine) in the early 1990s, when her innovative use of color "brilliantly solved the world's ennui with grunge" and helped launch i-D to a position of international importance.^[4] In the mid-1990s, she worked both with minimalist Jil Sander and with surrealist John Galliano, where she became known for her "latex petals stuck to faces, vinyl lips, bodies drenched in powder paint, [and] stylized Kabuki physiognomies."^[4]

Since then, McGrath has worked with photographers including Steven Meisel (who now rarely shoots without her),^[2][4] Paolo Roversi,^[2] Helmut Newton,^[2] and Peter Lindbergh.^[2] In addition to appearing in i-D, photos of her work have been published in fashion magazines including American, English, and French Vogue, W, and Harper's Bazaar.^[2] She attends four fashion show seasons (counting couture) each year^[4] and has worked with designers including Prada, Miu Miu, Comme des Garçons, and Dolce and Gabbana.^[2] Additionally, she designed Armani's cosmetics line in 1999^[6] and in 2004 was named global creative-design director for Procter and Gamble, where she is in charge of Max Factor and Cover Girl cosmetics, among other brands.^[1] During McGrath's constant travels to work locations, she takes between thirty and fifty bags of materials, tools, and reference materials.^[4]

As a makeup artist, McGrath is known for her wide range;^[6][7] according to Edward Enninful, her work spans from "the highest couture to club kids."^[7] She is also known for her inventive use of materials: her most creative make-up is handmade, and she works mainly with her fingers instead of with brushes.^[7]

In an interview with Vogue.com UK during London Fashion Week (Sept. 2008) McGrath explained her creative process, saying: "I'm influenced a lot by the fabrics that I see, the colours that are in the collections, and the girls' faces. It's always a challenge but that's the key - to make it different every time."^[8]

References[link]

• Photos of Pat McGrath at style.com.
• Profile of Pat McGrath, including several examples of her work from i-D magazine fashion editorials.
• Interview with Pat McGrath, exclusive quotes backstage at London Fashion Week
• Videos of Pat McGrath Backstage, exclusive interviews at MODTV

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2012)

Coco Rocha
Coco Rocha at Louis Vuitton
Born	(1988-09-10) September 10, 1988 (age 23) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Blue
Measurements	33-24-34 (US); 84-61-86.5 (EU)[1]
Dress size	4 (US); 34 (EU)[1]
Manager	ModelQuest (mother agency) Wilhelmina Models Storm Model Management Elite Milan Elite Toronto Elite Copenhagen UNO Barcelona Marylin Agency Model Management Hamburg Specs Model Management
Spouse	James Conran
Website
http://www.cocorocha.com

Coco Rocha (born Mikhaila Rocha on September 10, 1988) is a Canadian fashion model.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Rocha was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in Richmond, British Columbia where she attended McRoberts Secondary School.^[2] Her family is in the airline industry. Her mother, Juanita, is a flight attendant and her father, Trevor Haines,^[3] is a ticket manager. She has one step sister named Lynsey. She is of Irish, Russian, and Welsh descent.^[4]

Rocha is one of the few models who has spoken out against the prevalence of eating disorders in the modelling industry. In an open letter to the New York Times, Coco spoke out on her blog about the pressure the fashion industry puts on young models "How can any person justify an aesthetic that reduces a woman or child to an emaciated skeleton? Is it art? Surely fashion’s aesthetic should enhance and beautify the human form, not destroy it." [1] In an email to the Associated Press, she gives an insight into the fashion world, saying: "I'll never forget the piece of advice I got from people in the industry when they saw my new body ... They said, 'You need to lose more weight. The look this year is anorexia. We don't want you to be anorexic but that's what we want you to look like.^[5]

Rocha married James Conran on June 9, 2010.^[6] Her wedding dress was designed by Zac Posen.

Career[link]

In 2002, agent Charles Stuart approached Rocha at an Irish dance competition and asked her if she would consider modelling for him. At that point, she had never thought of modelling before.^[7] When she did begin to model, her knowledge of fashion was limited.^[4] She eventually gained insight into the fashion world after her best friends crammed in fashion study sessions in between studying for exams.^[4]

Rocha started her professional career in 2004, signing with SUPREME in New York City. Two years later, Rocha met fashion photographer Steven Meisel. Soon, she was featured in an editorial with Gemma Ward and Amanda Moore. The editorial kickstarted her career, landing her the cover of the February 2006 issue of Vogue Italia. The week after, she walked the Spring/Summer 2006 New York City runways for a handful of designers, most notably Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs. Backstage at the Anna Sui show, Rocha met model Naomi Campbell, who held her hands and told her she was "her new favourite model".^[8] After the New York Fashion Week, she soon followed by taking part in the Paris Fashion Week as well. She walked for esteemed designers like Stella McCartney, Shiatzy Chen, Christian Lacroix, and Emanuel Ungaro, and was chosen by Marc Jacobs to open and close his Louis Vuitton show.^{[citation needed]}

During Jean Paul Gaultier's Scottish Highlands-inspired Fall/Winter 2007 show in February 2007, Rocha opened the show by Irish-dancing down the runway; American Vogue dubbed this the "Coco Moment" and suggested it as a sign that the fashion industry misses the "supermodels".^[9]

In the May 2007, issue of Vogue (US), she was featured on the cover with fellow models Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Agyness Deyn, Jessica Stam, Hilary Rhoda, Chanel Iman, and Lily Donaldson as the new crop of supermodels.^[10] In 2008 casting agent James Scully, who is responsible to pick which model is to score a spot on top runways, says in regards to Rocha:

Rocha has been on the covers of many top fashion magazines including American, Mexican, Korean, Italian, Japanese, and Brazilian Vogue, Flare, Fashion, Numéro, French, W, Harper's Bazaar, Dazed & Confused, i-D, Time Style & Design, among others.^[2]

Since her debut, Rocha has been the face of a variety of advertising campaigns including Versace, Americana Manhasset, Balenciaga, Chanel, D&G, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Lanvin, The Gap, Ports 1961, Tommy Hilfiger, Yves Saint Laurent, Esprit, Liz Claiborne, Calvin Klein, Nicole Farhi, DeBeers, Zac Posen, and Rimmel. She has appeared in editorials for American, Italian, Korean, French, Russian, Spanish, Brazilian, Japanese, Mexican, and British Vogue, British, Canadian, Czech, French, Quebec, and Italian Elle V,^{[disambiguation needed ]} W, French, Korean, and Japanese Numéro, British and Japanese Dazed & Confused, i-D, Time Style & Design, and Ukrainian, Russian, Korean, and American Harpers Bazaar^[2]

Vogue Paris declared her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.^[12]

In July 2010, Rocha appeared on vogue.co.uk every day for the entire month in the feature Today I'm Wearing. She followed in the footsteps of Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo to showcase her fashion and style choices each day. The following month, Rocha appeared on a billboard in Times Square for an ad campaign with Marie Claire magazine in partnership with Project Runway in which she modelled a contestant's winning design.

In October 2010, Coco Rocha was one of a handful of high fashion models mentioned on Kanye West's "Christian Dior Denim Flow." [2] Also in October 2010, Coco Rocha was given Marie Claire's Prix d’Excellence as their model of the year at a ceremony in Paris, France. [3]

In November 2010, Rocha was awarded the Seventeen Body Peace award by Seventeen magazine. Rocha contributed a number of articles to Seventeen magazine on the topic of girls body image and self esteem. [4][5]

Rocha hosted the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards white carpet.

In February 2011, it was announced that Rocha had written the forward to World-famous fashion guru Jeanne Beker's book "Struttin It!". The book offered a unique insider's look at the reality behind the glitz of the modeling profession. [6]

In March 2011, Coco announced the launch of her new website [cocorocha.com]. The site was said to contain almost 10,000 pictures covering her entire career as a model so far. On February 14, 2011 Coco was awarded the Elle Style award for 'Model of the Year' by Boy George in London, England.[7]

In spring of 2011, it was announced that Rocha would again be the face of a limited edition Karl Lagerfeld designed Coco Cola light campaign. She previously collaborated with Lagerfeld and Coca-Cola in 2010. [8]

In June 2011, Coco announced a partnership with Canadian fashion retailer Jacob for a Photoshop free campaign. On her blog Rocha said she hoped the shoot could "balance the scales a little by pulling so far back from what has been the current trend of total digital model manipulation." [9]

On June 16, 2011, Coco Rocha and husband James Conran both received awards for their philanthropic work at the Pay It Fashion Forward event in Manahattan, NY. [10]

In early July 2011, Coco Rocha revealed the trailer to her short documentary "Letter to Haiti" on her blog. The movie was set to premier in Toronto in October and New York in December 2011. [11]

In July 2011, Coco Rocha became the first high fashion model to be photographed by the Lytro Camera, the camera takes what the company calls a “living picture,” meaning that it captures enough visual information in a single exposure so that the focus and zoom can be adjusted even after the picture is taken. Rocha said she reached out to the company after reading about them on the website Mashable. [12][13]

In August 2011, it was announced that Coco would be the face of an upcoming Karl Lagerfeld for Macy's collection. [14]

On October 11, 2011 Coco Rocha appeared on Anderson Cooper's daytime television show "Anderson" where she said models are scouted too young and put under pressure to stay thin and behave in a way they wouldn't naturally while they're "still minors". [15]

On October 19, 2011 she appeared as a guest judge alongside Tyra Banks where she was frequently referred to as "The Queen of Posing" on "America's Next Top Model."

On November 1, 2011 Coco launched Coco Rocha for Senhoa, a collection produced together with Senhoa, an organization helping Cambodian survivors of human trafficking. The capsule collection contained 7 unique pieces designed by Rocha and hand crafted by the survivors of human trafficking. All proceeds go directly back into the Senhoa program. To help raise awareness for the cause, Rocha brought on some additional model power with the help of friends Chanel Iman, Caroline Trentini, and Behati Prinsloo. In the first of two campaigns, Iman, Trentini and Rocha were photographed by Nigel Barker[16]

In mid-February 2012, Coco appeared in a commercial for White House Black Market created by New York advertising agency ceft and company in which she was featured tap-dancing.

In April 2012, Coco Rocha became the first high fashion model to have more than 1 million followers on the social media platform Google+.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Coco Rocha

• Official website
• Coco Rocha at the Fashion Model Directory
• Coco Rocha's Fashion Picks on Who What Wear
• Coco Rocha's Official Blog

Type	Pr, D.Gelfond
Industry	Fashion
Founded	1985
Headquarters	Milan, Italy
Products	Clothing, footwear, handbags, sunglasses, watches
Employees	3,150
Website	dolcegabbana.it

Dolce & Gabbana (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdoltʃe e ɡabˈbaːna]) is an Italian luxury industry fashion house.^[1] The company was started by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million.^[2] Domenico Dolce was born on 13 September 1958 in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily. Stefano Gabbana was born on 14 November 1962 in Venice, and according to some sources in Milan, Italy (Gabbana, Stephano 2007). The two met in Milano in 1980 and worked for the same fashion house. In 1982 they established a designer consulting studio. In time it grew to become “Dolce & Gabbana”. They presented their first women’s collection in 1985 in Milan, where a year later their store would open its doors in 1986 (Dolce & Gabbana 2011).

Two years later they launched their leotard line and in 1989 started designing underwear and swimming costumes (Domenico). Dolce and Gabbana started to export their products in Japan and other countries like the U.S. where they found their own showroom in 1990 (Gabbana, Stephano 2011). The same year they showed their men’s collections. They launched their first perfume Dolce & Gabbana in 1992 (Dolce & Gabbana 2011). They won the Woolmark award in 1991 and the prize “most feminine flavor of the year” in 1993 (Dolce & Gabbana 2007). They won an Oscar for best male perfume in 1996. Towards the end of the 1990s their sales were around 500 million dollars and in 2003 alone their revenue reached 633.2 million dollars (Gabbana, Stephano 2011).

Brands[link]

Dolce & Gabbana has two central lines:

Dolce&Gabbana[link]

Dolce&Gabbana (spelled without spaces, unlike the name of the company) specializes in luxury items influenced more by designers and is more formal and 'timeless', responding to long-term trends as well as seasonal changes.^[3] It also sells sunglasses and corrective eyewear, purses, and watches. In April 2009 it launched its make-up range, unveiled at Selfridges, London by Scarlett Johansson.^[4] In February 2010, it was announced that American singer Madonna would design a collection of sunglasses titled MDG, set to be released in May of that year. It also has a set of fragrances for men and women.

D & G[link]

D & G is a casual line that follows an urban inspiration and attempts to set trends rather than follow them. It is the younger, more flamboyant diffusion line of the brand. Unlike Dolce&Gabbana, D&G sells watches as well as clothing.

Internet[link]

Dolce & Gabbana made the "DG" logo an iconic symbol,^[5] but they were never able to get the matching internet address DG.com. In fact, DG.com is one of the oldest Internet domains and was already registered in 1986 by the computer company Data General, now defunct. DG.com was purchased in June 2010 ^[6] by the US Variety Store chain Dollar General which uses a different DG logo to sell its products.

Inspirations and style[link]

Originally inspired by eclectic, thrift shop Bohemia, Dolce & Gabbana's deeply colored, animal prints have been described as "haute hippy dom" taking inspiration in particular from Italy's prestigious film history. "When we design it's like a movie (Domenico)," says Domenico Dolce. "We think of a story and we design the clothes to go with it (Domenico)." They claim to be more concerned about creating the best, most flattering clothes than sparking trends, once admitting that they wouldn't mind if their only contribution to fashion history was a black bra (Dolce and Gabbana 2007).

D & G trademarks include underwear-as-outerwear (such as corsets and bra fastenings), gangster boss pinstripe suits, and extravagantly printed coats. Meanwhile their feminine collections are always backed by powerful ad campaigns, like the black-and-white ads, featuring model Marpessa photographed by Ferdinando Scianna in 1987 (Dolce & Gabbana). "They find their way out of any black dress, any buttoned-up blouse (Domenico)," says Rossellini. "The first piece of theirs I wore was a white shirt, very chaste, but cut to make my breasts look as if they were bursting out of it (Domenico)."

Once dubbed the "Gilbert and George of Italian fashion",^[7] Dolce and Gabbana gave their fashion interests a musical turn in 1996, by recording their own single, in which they intoned the words "D&G is love" over a techno beat (Dolce & Gabbana 2011). Newer to the design game than other heavyweight Italian fashion houses such as Versace and Armani, the pair acknowledge that luck has played its part in their phenomenal success. By 1997, their company reported a turnover of 400 million, prompting both designers to announce that they planned to retire by the age of 40 – a promise they did not keep (Domenico).

Controversies[link]

Advertising[link]

Dolce & Gabbana was publicly criticized by Britain's advertising watchdog Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in January 2007, for an advertising campaign showing models brandishing knives.

Following complaints from consumers' groups in February 2007, Dolce & Gabbana pulled an advertisement in Spain that showed a man holding a woman to the ground by her wrists while a group of men look on. Spain's Labour and Social Affairs Ministry branded the campaign as illegal and humiliating to women, saying the woman's body position had no relation to the products Dolce & Gabbana was trying to sell.^[8] Italian publications followed suit, banning the ad. This advertisement was called "a glorification of gang rape" and declared "one of the most controversial advertisements in fashion history,"^[9] by Debonair Magazine.

Alleged tax evasion[link]

In May 2009, the Italian government charged Dolce & Gabbana with tax evasion for having moved assets for about 249 million euro to tax haven Luxembourg in the 2004–2006 period.^[10][11]

Hong Kong photo ban controversy[link]

One of the four streets blocked during the Sunday protest.

On 5 January 2012, Apple Daily reported that Hong Kong citizens had been prevented from taking pictures of Dolce & Gabbana window displays in both their Hong Kong stores, stirring anti-mainlander sentiment.^[12] In particular staff and security personnel at their flagship store on Canton Road asserted the pavement area outside was private property where photography was forbidden. The actions sparked protests spanning several days and gained international news coverage on 8 January.^{[13][14][15][16]} Local news reports speculated that the Dolce & Gabbanna photo ban may have been imposed at the request of some wealthy Chinese government officials who were shopping and who feared photographs of them in the store might circulate and fuel corruption allegations and investigations into the source of their wealth.^[17]

Dolce & Gabbana finally issued a formal apology to Hong Kong citizens from its Milan headquarters on 18 January 2012.^[18][19]

Further reading[link]

• "Dolce & Gabbana." The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 29 November 2011.
• "Gabbana, Stefano." Marquis Who's Who in the World. New Providence: Marquis Who's Who LLC, 2011. Credo Reference. Web. 29 November 2011.
• "Gabbana, Stefano." The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Credo Reference. Web. 29 November 2011.
• "Domenico Dolce Quotes – Swide Magazine." Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana. Swide Magazine, 2 June 2011. Web. 29 November 2011.
• "Dolce & Gabbana – Biography on Bio." Bio: Shows, Video, TV Schedule and More on Bio. AETN UK. Web. 29 November 2011.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dolce & Gabbana

• Official website
• Dolce & Gabbana on Twitter
• Dolce & Gabbana on Fashion Net

Alber Elbaz (born 1961) is a Moroccan-born Israeli fashion designer. Elbaz has worked for the Paris fashion house Lanvin since 2001.

Biography[link]

Alberto Elbaz was born in June 12th 1961 Casablanca, Morocco. He immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of ten and grew up in Holon.^[1] After serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, he studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan. His life partner is Alex Koo, Lanvin's director of marketing.^[1][2]

Fashion career[link]

Lanvin store, Monte Carlo

In 1985, Elbaz moved to New York City and spent two years working for a manufacturer of mother-of-the-bride clothing. He then worked for Geoffrey Beene for seven years. ^[3]He says he was influenced by Beene's rejection of trends and masterful drape and fit. "It was a very beautiful relationship.... Our best dialogue was not in words," Elbaz has reminisced.^[4]

In 1997, Elbaz left Beene and, through retailer Dawn Mello, was hired by the firm of Guy Laroche. But, by the time of Elbaz's arrival, the Laroche enterprise had become overly conservative and lackluster. Even so, Elbaz was able to update the collection and somewhat enhance the image of the firm, whose activities at the time included the management of 15 boutiques and 70 license agreements worldwide. However, he departed within a year, 1998, and began designing ready-to-wear women's clothing for Yves Saint Laurent, because Saint-Laurent himself wished to withdraw from his hands-on design of prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear). In the position, Elbaz's talent was recognized, and he was groomed to become the head designer of the house when Saint Laurent retired. This was not to happen, because the Gucci Group purchased YSL Rive Gauche, the ready-to-wear label, and, hence, Gucci design director Tom Ford dismissed Elbaz after three collections. Elbaz instead began working for Krizia in Italy and designed a well-received inaugural collection.

Art and graphics[link]

In October 2001, Elbaz was appointed artistic director of Lanvin in Paris. In August 2001, the company was purchased by investor group Harmonie S.A., led by Shaw-Lan Wang, a Taiwanese media magnate, who hired Elbaz. In 2006, he introduced new packaging for the fashion house, featuring a light forget-me-not blue color, a favorite shade which Lanvin purportedly had seen in a Fra Angelico fresco. Packaging included shopping bags imprinted with Paul Iribe's 1907 illustration of Lanvin and her daughter Marguerite, and shoe boxes designed like antique library files, tied with black ribbons to emphasize the precious nature of the product.

Elbaz illustrated the song "Lady Jane" in singer-songwriter Mika's extended play "Songs for Sorrow."

In 2012, Elbaz published a book of 3,000 photographs documenting the work of Lanvin.^[5]

Awards and recognition[link]

• International Award, Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), June 2005
• Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, Paris, January 25, 2007
• One of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World, 2007 ^[6]

Elbaz's simple, feminine clothing, which has been compared to Lanvin's 1920s outfits, has been lauded by the fashion press. Suzy Menkes wrote: "Elbaz is every woman's darling. And that includes Nicole, Kate, Chloé Sevigny, Sofia Coppola and a slew of rising movie names."^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Alber Elbaz designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Lanvin collaborates with Acne for a 2009 jean collection, JCReport
• Alber Elbaz collabrates with H&M, VOGUE.COM UK

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (May 2010)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)

Donatella Versace
Versace at the 2010 Time 100 Gala.
Born	(1955-05-02) 2 May 1955 (age 57) Reggio di Calabria, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Occupation	Fashion designer
Labels	Versace

Donatella Versace (born 2 May 1955) is an Italian fashion designer and current Vice-President of the Versace Group, as well as chief designer. She owns 20 percent of the entire stock market assets of Versace. Her brother, Santo Versace, owns 30 percent. Donatella's daughter Allegra Versace inherited 50% of the company stock after the death of Gianni Versace, Donatella's brother and Versace's founder.

Personal life[link]

Early life and fashion debut[link]

Versace was born in the Italian city of Reggio di Calabria, the youngest of four children in her family. Her father was a personal financier to the Italian aristocracy. An older sister, Tina, died at the age of twelve from an improperly treated tetanus infection.^[1] In the mid 1970s, Donatella followed her older brother, Giovanni ("Gianni"), to pursue knitwear design in Florence, Italy. Donatella had planned to work for her brother as Public Relations, but she was more valuable to Gianni as a "muse and critic," according to Donatella during an interview with Vogue.^[2] Through her closeness to her brother's enterprises, Donatella plunged into the fashion world. A decade later, during the 1980s, Gianni launched a perfume dedicated to her, Blonde, and gave her her own diffusion label, Versus, which remains a well-known Versace inner line.

Family and residence[link]

Donatella and her former husband, American model Paul Beck, have two children: daughter Allegra (b. 30 June 1986), and son Daniel Versace (b. 1989). She is also the aunt of oldest brother Santo's two children, Francesca Versace, and Antonio Versace.

Donatella's deceased brother, Gianni Versace, had a large collection of homes worldwide that have since been sold, most notably his Manhattan, New York double-wide townhome, valued at over US$21,000,000. Donatella Versace does not permanently live at any one residence, but travels from one to the other.

Murder of Gianni Versace[link]

On 15 July 1997, outside the re-constructed Versace Mansion, also known as Casa Casuarina, in Miami, Florida, Gianni Versace was shot dead by Andrew Cunanan. A multi-continent search ensued for the suspected spree killer, but Cunanan avoided capture by committing suicide a few days after the death of Gianni Versace. In the aftermath of the highly publicized murder and manhunt, most of the Versace family (including Donatella) moved temporarily to a secluded private resort in the Caribbean, cancelling the Versace Spring-Summer 1999 Collection as well as their indirect operations of the company.

The official funeral of Gianni Versace was held in Milan Cathedral. More than 2,000 mourners attended the traditional Catholic service, which was also broadcast to millions of viewers worldwide. Among the many famous fashion designers and other celebrities in attendance were Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, Diana, Princess of Wales, Naomi Campbell, Madonna, Courtney Love, Luciano Pavarotti, Carla Fendi and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, while Elton John and Sting performed a musical setting of the 23rd Psalm.

Heiress to the throne[link]

It was in 1997, while watching television, that Allegra Versace saw the familiar face of her uncle, Gianni, on the news station and found out that he had been murdered. Gianni had been the highest figure in the Versace Group, leaving no one to rule the vast network of clothing lines and branches of his company. His testament stated Allegra Versace was to receive majority inheritance and titles.

Allegra Versace inherited $700 million from her uncle Gianni on her eighteenth birthday. Allegra was also given Gianni's villa on Lake Como, and a large townhome in one of Manhattan's most affluent neighborhoods. To this day she stands to inherit the company, as her brother, Daniel, inherited Gianni's vast rare artwork collection (since sold). While the Versace Group is not as financially robust as it was in its earlier and peak stages, the Versace Group has publicly made clear that Donatella and Allegra Versace will hopefully bring a new face and attraction to the Versace label.

Career[link]

This section requires expansion.

She has held cameo performances in many films relating to fashion and its industry, such as Zoolander. Also, in many other films, including the 2006 hit The Devil Wears Prada, the mention of "Donatella" is used sporadically. In the ABC series Ugly Betty a fictional character, Fabia, played by actress Gina Gershon, is a parody of Donatella.

The growth of Donatella and Versace[link]

Donatella is the first to use notable celebrities to broadcast her clothing into the world on the catwalk and other public media such as advertisements, instead of using unknown models.^{[citation needed]} Another member of the growing Versace success was Santo Versace S.p.A., Donatella's brother, who is also a fashion designer and the owner of Finanziaria Versace, an established Versace branch. Donatella soon proved to be the public relations giant within the Versace label and spread its name throughout Europe and most of the United States. Donatella chose to place some of her good friends, Lil Kim, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Demi Moore, in high esteem in the Versace advertising sector, making them and other A-List celebrities such as Beyoncé and January Jones the persona and image of Versace. Her popularity grew when she designed the famous Versace Green Dress, also known as the "Jungle-Dress", which was worn by Jennifer Lopez at the Grammys in 2000.

Promotion and success[link]

A year and three days after Gianni's death in July 1998, Donatella Versace mounted her first couture show for the Versace Atelier at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. She built her runway over the hotel's swimming pool, as her brother had done every season, though this time using sheer glass. She now oversees the production of a dozen collections each year, though these days, Donatella is just as famous for her celebrity entourage and glittering parties. Regular guests include Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley, Rakeem Young, Lucy Munn, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kate Moss. Even Prince Charles attends Donatella's parties for the famous and elite throughout Europe.

Branching into other fields, the company has created the grand, luxurious Palazzo Versace resort on the Gold Coast of Australia. Another growing symbol of the Versace style, the world's tallest building, the Burj al-Arab, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), boasts a broad collection of Versace furniture and beddings in its expensive and lavish rooms.

Plans for the Palazzo Versace Dubai were announced in May 2005. Gianni Versace SpA, Sunland Group Ltd. and Emirates International Holdings have announced the Palazzo Versace resort to be constructed in the Arabian Bays on the Dubai Creek in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The second Palazzo Versace will boast a number of suites and luxury villas, including an exclusive spa. Official plans are to begin construction in 2006 and have the hotel completed sometime in the year 2008. The interior of the hotel will be furnished with various Versace collections. As Creative Director, Donatella will carry out final plans and design strategies for the hotel and resort compound. This will be the second Palazzo Versace hotel ever to be built, and the second hotel in Dubai to boast a wide range of Versace collections. In October 2002, Gianni and Donatella's most famously designed Versace clothing was displayed in a special exhibit of the historical Victoria and Albert Museum of London to be honored for extraordinary fashion success and symbolism worldwide.

Awards[link]

In 2010, Donatella's charity work earned her a Do Something With Style Award nomination from the VH1 Do Something Awards. She was nominated for providing art supplies to children and creating a tote bag, whose proceeds will go to Starlight and the ONE Foundations. The awards show, produced by Vh1, is dedicated to honoring people who do good and is powered by Do Something, an organization that aims to empower, celebrate, and inspire young people.^[3]

In popular culture[link]

Donatella has been regularly impersonated by Maya Rudolph on the American comedy skit show Saturday Night Live, which airs on the NBC network. In reality, Rudolph and Versace are good friends. She is also perpetrated as a highly publicized user of the Power-Plate.^[4]

Versace was portrayed by actress Dania Deville in the 1998 film The Versace Murder.

See also[link]

• Gianni Versace, brother of Donatella Versace
• Santo Versace, the eldest brother in the Versace House.
• Palazzo Versace, first Versace hotel in chain

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Donatella Versace

• The Official Versace Website
• Donatella Versace at the Internet Movie Database
• Donatella Versace designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Donatella Versace interview with Harper's BAZAAR magazine
• http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/allegra%20inherits%20versace.s%20fortune /Allegra inheirting half of the company].