Versace Spring/Summer 2026 Show: Dario Vitale’s Confident First Act

One of Milan Fashion Week’s most talked-about debuts belonged to Dario Vitale, who stepped into the creative director role at Versace following Donatella’s exit earlier this year. His Spring/Summer 2026 collection, shown on September 26 at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, set the tone for what could be a new era of sensuality—one that trades bombastic excess for intimacy, without losing the house’s signature allure.

Vitale didn’t rewrite Versace’s DNA. Instead, he loosened it—injecting spontaneity, imperfection, and a touch of real-world texture into a brand long defined by precision and spectacle.

A Setting That Felt Lived-In

The show unfolded inside a historic Milanese gallery transformed into a semi-domestic space. Visitors were met with art, but also the quiet chaos of a morning after—a rumpled bed, an unbuttoned shirt, traces of beauty in disarray.

Vitale described the scene as “bourgeois, but not too proper.” It was an invitation to see Versace through a more intimate lens: less runway goddess, more woman caught mid-moment. The result was unexpectedly human. Sensual, but self-aware.

The Collection: Undone Glamour

Vitale’s debut carried all the Versace signatures—sleek tailoring, plunging necklines, sculptural eveningwear—but filtered through a softer, looser hand.

Silhouettes skimmed the body rather than constricting it. Satin slip dresses draped and twisted around the torso, their backs cut low enough to reveal branded underwear bands. Mesh and cutouts traced curves but never shouted. Belts hung unbuckled, zippers were left half-open, and seams appeared intentionally raw.

Color played boldly but selectively: cobalt, violet, chartreuse, and gold punctuated a base of cream and black. Prints—integral to the house’s past—were used sparingly. Instead, the focus was on structure and form.

There was a clear reverence for the late ’80s and ’90s Gianni Versace codes—the Miami energy and the unapologetic sexuality—but reinterpreted through a restrained hand. It was sultry without being slick, and provocative without being performative.

A Versace Woman, Redefined

Vitale’s woman isn’t a fantasy figure. She’s tangible, restless, and in control of her chaos. His version of sensuality stems from confidence rather than perfection. It's a refreshing take on the modern women.

That tension between polish and imperfection became the continuous thread of the show. Even the menswear echoed it: tailored trousers worn with exposed waists, jackets shrugged off shoulders, layering that felt accidental yet deliberate.

By bringing Versace into a lived-in space, Vitale reframed its power dynamic. The clothes didn’t dominate the woman; they accompanied her.

The Industry Loved it (For the Most Part)

Critics largely agreed that Vitale’s debut succeeded in tone and restraint. Vogue Business called it “fun and audacious,” noting that he manipulated Versace’s high-glamour codes with ease. ELLE described it as “full throttle, yet curiously undone.” Cathy Horyn of The Cut admitted that the show’s quiet confidence won her over halfway through.

There were mixed reactions to the earliest looks—some reviewers felt the opening silhouettes lacked focus—but by the finale, most agreed that Vitale had established a clear voice: confident, sensual, and refreshingly imperfect.

What This Debut Signals

Vitale’s first outing suggests a recalibration, not a revolution.

He’s dialing back the excess and replacing it with emotional texture. Expect future Versace collections to lean into this balance—elevated minimalism within maximal tradition. The undone belts, the lived-in glamour, the architectural drape: these are likely to evolve into his defining signatures design elements.

Perhaps most importantly, Vitale is re-centering Versace on intimacy over spectacle. After years of showmanship, his debut reminds us that seduction can whisper just as powerfully as it can roar.