2024-05-02 16:02:05
The face is tightened, the lips are unnaturally large: Donatella Versace herself says that this comes from Botox and “tons of cream”. This is how the fashion designer has changed.
Donatella Versace is publicly ridiculed for her facial features. In the fashion world, however, she is considered an icon. After Gianni Versace’s death in 1997, his sister Donatella took over the label and continued to run it successfully. Today the designer celebrates her 69th birthday.
“My appearance is not due to my genes”
Donatella Versace is often reduced only to her appearance. The blonde hair, the narrow wasp waist, the taut face. “My appearance is not due to my genes,” she openly admitted in an interview with the American online newspaper “Huffington Post”. Yes, she has already undergone beauty procedures, but she only had Botox injections. However, there were no major cosmetic surgeries. But then what is the secret of her appearance? “I use tons of cream and take care of my hair and skin,” says Donatella.
But the difference is immense. During her brother’s lifetime, Donatella Versace often appeared in public wearing subtle make-up. Sometimes she didn’t even wear mascara, as a picture from 1991 proves. Here the then 36-year-old posed alongside Gianni Versace. Over time, the hair became longer and the make-up became stronger.
Their changed appearance is often laughed at. She has achieved a lot that many would hardly have believed she could do. The pressure to live up to his brother’s legacy was great. And she suffered greatly from his death. “I lived the pain in public, but I couldn’t show my pain to anyone,” she once said in an interview with The New York Times. “I didn’t lose the King of Fashion. I lost my brother.”
Donatella struggled at times with depression and drug problems. The experts criticized their collections as luxury trash, and the fashion house accumulated debts. “I was going through a difficult time. I was in withdrawal. I needed to calm down, think deeply and reorganize my life,” she said in 2005.
The company slowly recovered. In 2018 it was bought by the US fashion house Michael Kors and is now controlled by the Capri Holdings group. This meant that one of the few Italian fashion houses that remained family-owned went into foreign hands. Donatella Versace continues to head the creative department.
Versace is fighting tough competition in the luxury segment, for example from rival Louis Vuitton, which belongs to the French industry giant LVMH, and other luxury brands such as Gucci and Prada. With its flashy leopard prints and Medusa head logo, Versace doesn’t suit everyone’s taste, but lovers can splurge on the pieces for thousands of dollars or euros. In addition to Lady Gaga and Sting, Versace wearers also included Princess Diana.
Donatella Versace also poses with the rich and beautiful on Instagram. Sometimes with actresses like Anne Hathaway, sometimes with supermodels like Gigi Hadid. She was last seen alongside Hollywood star Channing Tatum. She congratulated him on his birthday with a shared photo. Today it’s her turn. Donatella Versace is 69 years old.