Little Book of Versace:
The Story of the Iconic Fashion House
by Laia Farran Graves
Welbeck
February 2023, Hardcover, 160 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1802792638
Donatella Versace’s recent announcement that she is stepping down as the creative director of the house her brother built has sent a ripple through the fashion world.
After more than two decades of steering the House of Versace with a vision both daring and decadent, Donatella has left behind a 28-year legacy steeped in high-octane glamour, audacious sensuality, and cultural dominance. It’s fitting, then, that Laia Farran Graves’s Little Book of Versace serves as a compact yet striking celebration of the brand’s evolution—from its origins under Gianni Versace to its current stature as a global fashion powerhouse shaped under Donatella’s reign.
Faran Graves’s coffee table book is a tightly curated retrospective of one of the most iconic fashion houses of the 20th and 21st centuries. Structured chronologically, Little Book of Versace begins by delving into the life of founder Gianni Versace. His upbringing in the coastal city of Reggio Calabria, Italy, laid the foundation for his bold, baroque aesthetic. Graves paints a vivid picture of a young Gianni absorbing classical art and architecture while working in his mother Francesca’s dressmaking business—early influences that would come to define the Versace brand.
The book follows the meteoric rise of Gianni’s fashion empire from its humble 1978 launch in Milan’s Via della Spiga to its eventual expansion into haute couture, accessories, and lifestyle products. Graves details how Gianni cultivated a visual identity that fused classical motifs with contemporary sex appeal. With a razor-sharp focus on tailoring, lavish prints, and a fearless use of colour, Versace came to embody the hedonism and excess of the ’80s and ’90s fashion scenes. The narrative then turns somber as it recounts the devastating loss of Gianni in 1997, a turning point that left the future of the house uncertain.
Donatella’s rise to leadership marks a significant part of the book. Graves chronicles her journey from being Gianni’s muse and behind-the-scenes confidante to stepping into the spotlight with her own unique vision. Under Donatella, Versace embraced more experimental silhouettes, empowered female narratives, and brought the brand closer to youth culture and music.
One of the book’s most compelling chapters focuses on Versace’s profound impact on celebrities and pop culture. Graves captures how the label didn’t just dress stars—it made them. Gianni and Donatella forged friendships with rap legends like Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., whose affinity for Versace added a layer of streetwise luxury to the brand. Biggie’s iconic silk Versace shirt worn in his Hypnotize music video cemented the label’s place in the rap world. Meanwhile, the Medusa-emblazoned Versace sunglasses he sported—now dubbed the “Biggie sunglasses”—remain a coveted item that continues to sell out.
The book also revisits fashion moments that are now burned into pop culture history. Most notably, it recounts the 2000 Grammy Awards, when Jennifer Lopez appeared in a plunging green Versace gown. The dress sparked such a frenzy online that it led to the invention of Google Images. The moment was recreated at the Versace Spring 2020 show in Milan, where J.Lo stunned once more in a modernised version of the dress—an unforgettable full-circle moment that Graves illustrates with rich archival imagery.
Visually, Little Book of Versace is a feast for the eyes. It’s exquisitely illustrated, featuring everything from rare photos of the Versace family to snapshots of iconic red-carpet appearances and high-drama runway shows. Graves’s writing is concise but informative, no doubt a product of her background as a fashion journalist. She captures the brand’s opulence without sacrificing clarity.
Critically, while the book is a delight to browse and an excellent entry point for those new to the world of Versace, fashion historians might find themselves wanting deeper analysis or more behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Still, for its size, it’s impressively researched and stylishly executed—a fitting tribute to one of fashion’s most enduring houses.
As Donatella prepares to pass the creative torch to Dario Vitale, the former Miu Miu designer known for his playful approach to fashion, the future of Versace enters an intriguing new chapter. Will Vitale uphold the house’s legacy of bold sensuality, or take it in a fresher, perhaps more minimalist direction? Only time will tell. But if Little Book of Versace teaches us anything, it’s that this brand has always been about transformation, reinvention, and above all, audacious self-expression.
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