Versace’s new creative director – who replaced ousted Donatella Versace – caused a sensation at the Venice Film Festival this year, but not in the way he might have hoped.
Dario Vitale, who hopped over to Versace from Miu Miu this spring, chose the event to present the first two outfits of his new reign at the legendary Italian fashion house.
And then came a navy dress, worn by Julia at the premiere of her film After The Hunt.
Casual observers felt that the high-necked, long-sleeved, unadorned gown put the ‘meh’ into ‘megastar’ . . . and set alarm bells ringing for the watching global fashion world. It has led to talk that Vitale is now heading for the exit himself – and soon.
A source commented: ‘This was heartbreaking and devastating for the whole Versace family. Where is the sex? It’s been removed!
‘People are appalled and heartbroken because it seems that the legacy and reputation of Versace is being trashed.
‘The dress didn’t fit in the way that you would expect from the atelier, and the jacket and shirt looked sloppy. After everything that has gone down this year, Donatella has already been through so much. Vitale’s debut of an unrecognisable Versace was like salt in the wound.’
Donatella Versace, stepped down as head designer for Versace the earlier this year but is still its ‘chief brand ambassador’ (pictured at Paris Fashion Week, June)
Dario Vitale (pictured left) took over Versace from Miu Miu this spring but his lacklustre collection has raised eyebrows and led to questions over his future already
(Donatella no longer designs for Versace but is still its ‘chief brand ambassador’.)
Vitale is to present his full vision for the Versace label during Milan Fashion Week later this month. But instead of a runway show – with the front row filled with celebrities – there will be a low-key ‘presentation’ on September 26.
My source said: ‘It seems that Vitale’s first show has been downgraded. A lot of people believe his days are numbered. He has treated people inside horribly; and now with what’s happened in Venice, who could blame them for making the decision to move on?
‘Venice was the first outing for a designer who does not bear the name Versace, who has come into the company. It was shockingly bad.’
There are a lot of former ‘family’ members who would feel vindicated if Vitale was replaced. Some two dozen senior figures from the ‘old guard’ have been fired in recent months.
Donatella stepped into her brother Gianni’s shoes after he was murdered in 1997. She grew the company to its multi-billion-dollar valuation and forged relationships with celebs including Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Channing Tatum.
Capri Holdings (formerly Michael Kors Holdings) bought the fashion house in a $2.1billion deal in January 2019.
A navy dress, worn by Julia Roberts at the premiere of her film After The Hunt, was a disappointment
There was also a navy blazer, teamed with a yellow shirt and jeans, worn by A-list actress Julia Roberts (and then re-worn by Amanda Seyfried ) which didn’t go down well
Donatella stepped into her brother Gianni’s shoes after he was murdered in 1997 and has continued to grow the brand
In March this year, though, the company – which also owns Jimmy Choo – announced that Donatella was stepping down as chief creative officer.
And in April, Prada confirmed it was acquiring 100 per cent of Versace from Capri for €1.25billion. The transaction is expected to close imminently.
I’m told: ‘Capri did Donatella dirty, 100 per cent. She was the queen of the red carpet.’
Amanda Seyfried had some unusual inspiration for her role as the 18th-century founder of the Shaker Movement in her upcoming film The Testament Of Ann Lee.
Lee, who was born in Manchester, founded the Christian sect, nicknamed the ‘Shaking Quakers’ for their love of singing and dancing, in England. But it gained strength in America after she emigrated in 1774, taking many followers with her.
Amanda Seyfried pictured at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Testament Of Ann Lee which she stars in
Seyfried said she asked director Mona Fastvold: ‘Are you sure you want me, Mona? Surely there are other younger British actresses who could nail the accent?’ The 39-year-old, who was born in Pennsylvania, said she found the Manchester accent ‘incredibly difficult’ to master.
In the end, she based hers on Dinnerladies and Shameless star Maxine Peake, from neighbouring Bolton. ‘I had so many nightmares about people being like: ‘What the f*** is she saying?’ Maxine Peake was my beacon.’
Ann Lee was a champion of sexual equality – and celibacy. The Shaker Movement, which has now dwindled to one active community in Maine, believed in simplicity in all things, following their message ‘Tis A Gift To Be Simple’.
He’s no Rock – he’s just a big pudding
Their working relationship started with the low-brow Disney film Jungle Cruise in 2021 – based, like Pirates Of The Caribbean, on a theme park ride.
But the unlikely (on paper) pairing of British star Emily Blunt and the wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson may yet carry both of them to the Oscars podium.
Emily Blunt, 42, is so fond of Dwayne Johnson, 53, that she now refers to him as ‘Pudding’ (pictured together at the The Smashing Machine premiere at Venice Film Festival)
Blunt, 42, has become so fond of Johnson that she now refers to him as ‘Pudding’. Talking about how his muscled exterior conceals a sweet nature, Blunt said: ‘He’s like pudding underneath.’
Johnson laughed: ‘That’s my nickname on weekends – Pudding.’
After a wildly successful pivot from wrestling to acting; and big-budget hit movies like the Jumanji sequels, Moana and The Fast And The Furious, Johnson, 53, is setting his sights on the awards circuit with The Smashing Machine.
The movie, by super-indie production company A24, tells the story of MMA (mixed martial arts) star Mark Kerr and his struggles with substance abuse and domestic dramas, as well as his sporting journey – at a time when the wrestling phenomenon had yet to become a big cultural noise.
Johnson said he believed the time had come to follow his dreams and added: ‘I’ve been scared to go deep and intense and raw until now, until I had this opportunity.’
There was an enchanted evening at the Gritti Palace hotel with film-maker and publisher Charles Finch and the jewellery brand Cartier, one of the festival’s main sponsors.
Guests included director Francis Ford Coppola and his daughter Sofia, plus Jacob Elordi – who showed up with his mother Melissa.
Finch, who is the editor-in-chief of film magazine A Rabbit’s Foot, spoke about the perils of AI in the arts.
How Netflix will have the last laugh
Everyone thinks film festivals are civilised affairs. But I have to tell you that when you settle down to watch a movie and Netflix’s big red ‘N’ appears, there are always some boos.
Yes, really. Boss Ted Sarandos, who gives film-makers two or three-week windows in cinemas before streaming, is still regarded by a few cinephiles as ‘the man who ruined movies’.
But the joke’s on them this year, as the three films Netflix unveiled at Venice – A House Of Dynamite, Frankenstein and Jay Kelly – seem destined to win awards.
A House Of Dynamite, which stars Idris Elba as the US President, has won five-star reviews across the board. It is so consequential, it’s almost impossible to imagine it will be shut out of the Best Picture conversations.
A House Of Dynamite, which stars Idris Elba (pictured) as the US President and is produced by Netflix, has won five-star reviews across the board is up for awards
Frankenstein, which stars Jacob Elordi as The Creature and Mia Goth as the doomed woman will most definitely be in the running for technical awards (Film image)
Those at Telluride fell in love with Adam Sandler and George Clooney (pictured together) and could also be in the running for awards
Its director Kathryn Bigelow was also the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Directing, in 2010.
Frankenstein, which stars Jacob Elordi as The Creature and Mia Goth as the doomed woman captivated by him, will most definitely be in the running for technical awards. I would be surprised if there wasn’t some recognition for the cast, too.
And Jay Kelly… well, the critics in Venice were sniffy. But those at Telluride a few days later fell in love with Adam Sandler and George Clooney’s performances.
Clooney skipped some of the promo due to a sinus infection but after the premiere got his second wind, and was spotted clowning around in the Cipriani hotel with Sandler and Sarandos.
Faithful strikes back from beyond the grave
Marianne Faithfull takes aim at her critics – and the man who ‘discovered’ her – in a new documentary, Broken English.
A number of interviews with the icon were filmed before her death in January this year, and the resulting picture – which includes her final musical performance – premiered in Venice last week.
Faithfull is on sparky form despite having recently recovered from a serious bout of Covid. And her face lights up when she sees footage of herself performing.
Recalling her debut single, As Tears Go By, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and given to her by their manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, she said: ‘You can’t go to a party and pick up someone with no talent and make them a star – everyone knows that. Maybe it [encountering Oldham] was good for me, because I thought: “I’ll show you, you c***!”
Marianne Faithfull (pictured left with Andrew Loog Oldham) takes aim at her critics – and the man who ‘discovered’ her – in a new documentary
Faithfull says she never saw herself as a pop star. When asked to read aloud the liner notes to her single – which rhapsodise about her ‘angel-blonde hair swirling
in the wind’ – she sighs: ‘Well, that’s bull***t!’
Producer Beth Earl said: ‘I think Marianne was always very careful about not wanting to be perceived as a victim. She always wanted to be known for her artistic choices and for her body of work.’ In the film – recorded in 2022 – Faithfull declined to discuss the notorious drug bust at Keith Richards’ Sussex home, Redlands, in 1967. ‘I don’t care for this,’ she says.
But she does recall her then-boyfriend Mick Jagger not standing up for her after the incident.
Singers Beth Orton and Courtney Love cover some of Faithfull’s songs, and there is a performance of Misunderstanding with musician Nick Cave from her 2018 album Negative Capability.
And after watching clips of interviewers underestimating her, she observes: ‘Despite all these stupid people and their stupid questions, I’ve had rather a lovely life.’
