By Michelle Crowe
A petite Medusa 95 House in a sherbet shade of lime. Photo courtesy of Versace.
An admirable skill in life is the ability to keep moving forward and not become stuck in the past. Every life has high points and low moments. The ability to keep going through both is the resilience of which all the life coaches speak. Hopefully, the bad times fade, and the stretches of time when we felt happy and successful take on a hazy glow of nostalgia as we look back on them.
That might be what’s happening right now with the love and appreciation for 1990s Versace. The Fall 2024 Collection is brilliant, one of the best-received shows of the season. So many of the looks call to mind an optimistic moment when it seemed like anything was possible.
Casual day? A great bag is still important. Photo courtesy of Versace.
Before those brilliant suits and such hit the shelves, the Spring-Summer 2024 collection is perfect for channeling the moment in 1996 when Princess Diana spent a whirlwind 47 hours at The Drake attending fundraisers, seeing the museums, and visiting patients in hospital.
While this was happening on the avenue, the Chicago Bulls were across town playing in the NBA Finals. It’s easy to understand why this era is so appealing.
Why not double up? Photo courtesy of Versace.
The Medusa 95 House bag, which takes inspiration from the Versace handbag of Diana, Princess of Wales, perfectly captures this vibe.
Medusa is the most powerful and instantly recognizable symbol of Versace. In the hands of the Versace family, Medusa became a symbol of elevated beauty, rebellion, and female
empowerment.
The perfect neutral. Photo courtesy of Versace.
In the Spring-Summer 1995 collection, the Medusa motif was featured on the shoulder straps of evening dresses, including the metal mesh gown worn by
Madonna, in her Evita era. The now iconic images from the campaign were photographed by Steven Meisel and starred model Kristen McMenamy.
The mystique of Medusa. Photo courtesy of Versace.
The new version of this metal detail is named Medusa ’95 in honor of that original collection and features a central round emblem of the House’s Medusa symbol elevated between two semi-circles. It’s a classic lady bag with an edge, perfect now, and possibly destined to inspire decades from now. After all, one never knows these are the good old days until they’re past.
Fortunately, fashion designers always find ways to make styles fresh again.
Versace Chicago, 933 North Rush Street, 312.445.9750
