Versace for H&M Launch - The Runway Show and Jessica Alba on Donatella’s Closet
Photos: Getty Images
Golden girls: Three looks from the Versace for H&M runway show.
It might have been the most elaborate party ever to celebrate a collection of clothes that sell at high street prices—but then, what else would you expect from Donatella Versace?
At the Versace for H&M launch party on November 8 in New York, Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts, Chace Crawford, Blake Lively, Abbie Cornish, Selma Blair, Chloe Moretz and more lined the red carpet.
Supermodels Linda Evangelista and Helena Christensen as well as designers Alexander Wang, Sophie Theallet, Joseph Altuzarra, and Eddie Borgo all came out to lend their support. And did we mention Nicki Minaj and Prince (yes, Prince!) provided the entertainment for the evening?
The over-the-top event started in a gilded hall of mirrors, after which guests were ushered into a gorgeous show space with a winding runway, where models like Lindsey Wixson, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Natasha Poly and more strutted the catwalk in their finest Versace for H&M.
Model/designer/blogger Coco Rocha may have been front row for this one, but she’s walked in many a Versace show herself. “It’s one of my favorite shows to do,” she told FashionEtc. “[Donatella] wants us to have the strongest walks, be the fiercest models—she loves to have entertainment on the runway, which is my sort of thing. One of my fondest memories is going in there, and she’s used to these tan goddess models, and I’m this white little girl. She was like, this isn’t going to happen, but then she saw my walk and was like, OK, you can do my show.” Good call!
Jessica Alba also had fond memories of working with the iconic blonde. “The first Oscars that I presented at, I wore Versace,” she told us. “I went to Milan and went to Donatella’s house and saw the most amazing closet I’ve ever seen in my entire life. She had just racks and racks of gorgeous gowns.” But it wasn’t all about the clothes, she said. “She’s a girl’s girl, so we talked about boys and relationships and dating and kids.”
So, did Donatella have any words of wisdom for the actress, we wondered? “She said if you have a good one, keep him, and I did!”
Photo: Getty Images
What's in store: A look at the Versace for H&M collection