This biography of Gianni Versace, killed on the 15th July 1997, assesses his contributions to 20th-century popular culture. It describes Versace's youth as a shy child born into humble circumstances in Italy and his early education as a couturier. It depicts his early forays into fashion, his first collection in 1978, his developing flair for publicity and his ascent into international fame as the genius who created a global fashion empire which came to command an estimated $970 million a year in sales before his death. It also examines Versace's family life, and his relationships with celebrity icons such as Tina Turner, Elton John and Diana, Princess of Wales, and investigates his murder at the hands of a serial killer only days after the haunting success of his last show in Paris. The work concludes with an assessment of Versace's legacy as the first designer to bring fashion out of the muted realm of couture and pret-a-porter to the extravagant multimedia universe that has not only incorporated popular culture, but dictated it.
- ISBN10 0316645745
- ISBN13 9780316645744
- Publish Date 1 December 2006
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 31 December 2009
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Little, Brown & Company
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 320
- Language English