Who Is Donatella Versace? 12 Things to Know Before Watching American Crime Story

Culture News, Fashion

Donatella Versace worked side by side with her brother, Gianni, to help create one of the biggest fashion houses in the world. When her brother was murdered in 1997, Donatella was left to continue Gianni’s legacy. While the new season of American Crime Story will focus on her brother’s death, viewers will also see Donatella’s relationship with Gianni before his death and her impact on the company afterwards. Here, must-know facts about the designer before the premiere of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story on January 17 on FX. 

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4 She was Gianni’s muse.

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Before Gianni’s death, Donatella was known as his inspiration Gianni and “muse” for his various lines, according to Biography. She was even the main inspiration for one of Versace’s perfumes, Blonde. Gianni valued her critiques of his designs, though he preferred a more baroque style to Donatella’s minimalism. “Donatella was a very powerful critic,” one of Gianni’s friends, Guisi Ferre, told Newsweek. “And Gianni would yell, ‘Donatella, you want to kill my spirit? My success?'” When the company was established in 1978, Donatella became Gianni’s advisor and took on the role of vice president. She began designing in the early 1980s.
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The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story premieres January 17 on FX.