Cindy Crawford Is Versace Goddess, Lensed By Carter Smith For InStyle Magazine March 2018

Supermodel Cindy Crawford is styled by Karla Welch in 'Versace, Versace, Versace', lensed by Carter Smith for InStyle Magazine March 2018.

The 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace's murder has been one extravaganza after another, launched by the memorable assembly of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen and the former French first lady Carla Bruni closing out the September 2017 Versace show in Milan. With the sounds of George Michael's 'Freedom' still echoing on the Versace catwalk to American Crime Story's currently-running 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace', Gianni Versace is front and center in fashion minds.

In our bullet-point media word incapable of talking multiple aspects of the same topic, Gianni's worship of powerful, sensual women has been lost in the dialogue. Yet Donatella Versace's desire to emphasize her brother's "allegiance to women" was her highpoint of the September show. Covering the even, The Guardian wrote that "the catwalk rehearsal with the star models – whom she referred to as “icons”, rather than supermodels – had been the most emotional moment of the preparations" for Donatella.

“But today I am not sad. I am happy that after 20 years I can finally do this with a smile on my face,” she said, adding that she had been kept busy by the antics of her five stars. “They have a green room each, but they are running in and out of each other’s rooms all day. And because they walk the runway together they are arguing about who gets to go in the middle, just like the old days.”

Donatella Versace used prints from her brother’s collections between 1991 and 1995 as the basis for this collection. “The silhouettes are all new because the shapes from those days look dated today,” she said. “Except the leggings. Everyone loves the leggings again. The models like Gigi and Bella [Hadid] are always asking me where they can get the nineties Versace leggings.”

She decided on his famously exuberant prints as the best homage to her brother because “Gianni was all about joy, and so full of life, and the prints really express that spirit”. Leopard from the Animaliercollection of 1992, Greek keys from the Baroque collection of 1991 and Marilyn screenprints from the 1991 Warhol show were revisited for this season. 

It has long been my contention that the mostly male designers, coupled with women editors, male photographers and male-dominated business interests felt a strong need to metaphorically cut the original supermodels down to size. These women were size 4-6 US Amazonian women who were powerful, sexual and exuded a confidence that the catwalk had never seen. At the time 25% of notoriously overweight American women could achieve a supermodel body with exercise and healthy eating. In recent years, the percentage is 6. 

Twenty-five years after the second wave of feminism culminated in a fiery display of supermodel prowess  -- accused photographer David Bellemere, who seemed to agree with white nationalist Steve Bannon that feminism will destroy 10,000 years of civilization -- broke new ground last week, arguing 50-years later that feminism threatens to pull Western civilization back to the Dark Ages. I do not exaggerate.  

Interviewed in 1990 about the ways in which she and a few other models were calling the shots and changing the game, Linda Evangelista made her infamous, regrettable, sarcastic waking up for 10,000 dollar-bills comment. Still, the spirit of her comment was true. The supers didn't get bossed around much. I doubt that stylists were ever accused of ripping off panties without permission with that 90's goddesses posse. 

Tom Ford comes to mind as a living designer, like Versace, who truly loves powerful, sensual women. Ford is a man not affronted by breasts and hips -- although both men are known to look askance at an extra pound here. But that is also about how the clothes will hang -- clothes that truly were designed with powerful women in mind.

Gianni Versace was an original, as if the factual history of women's real power before the death knell of 5th century BC Greece and the arrival of monotheism flowed in his veins. Versace preceded the days when an unknowing woman can be charged with hate crimes on Twitter for connecting the words 'vagina' and 'woman' in the same sentence. Today that is verbotin. 

The two words have no relationship to each other, and you are run out of town in progressive circles if you mistakenly think otherwise. Factually-speaking, more young girls have their clitorises cut off world-wide than we have transgender women. Those girls are officially female when the razor blade comes out. To be fair, so-called progressives have argued that female genital mutilation is no different than circumcision. Both are equally barbaric or culturally appropriate different minds argue with clear consciences, affirming that it's not only Trump voters who have a way with words. 

Gianni Versace celebrated strong, Amazonian women whose obvious sensuality was part of their glorious DNA. He was not afraid of female power and influence. In this era of #MeToo, the question of why the fashion industry supported a takedown of the original supermodels is worth considering again. The main argument is that the pendulum of change swung in the direction of the equally wonderful Kate Moss and heroin chic. Change is good, the industry argues. End of the conversation.

It's not at all clear that the fashion industry is as on fire with #MeToo as Hollywood is. How many fashion industry people agree with David Bellemere that #MeToo is taking our celestial, pinnacle-reaching, male-dominated civilization back to the Dark Ages? Exactly why the fashion industry is so far behind Hollywood in embracing #MeToo issues is a question worth asking. What is the industry's relationship with powerful women, whether they are models or brand managers? ~ Anne