So today I decided to mess around with those Donatella Versace photos everyone’s always talking about on fashion forums. Woke up thinking it’d be simple – just grab some iconic shots right? Boy was I wrong.
What I Actually Wanted
Basically wanted two things: crazy runway moments where she’s all fierce backstage, plus that vintage 90s glam where she’s dripping in gold chains with big hair. Figured I’d make a mood board for my sewing projects.
Total Disaster Phase
Started by googling like a maniac. Huge mistake. Half the results were:
- Cheapo sites selling fake Versace sunglasses
- Weird Pinterest dead links
- Instagram reposts so low-res you couldn’t see her face
Spent like two hours just hitting “next page” feeling dumber each time. Got one decent shot of her smirking at some fashion show but it had a giant watermark.
Switching Gears
Remembered fashion mags sometimes have archives. Dug up my GQ stack from 2018 but found nada. Then tried typing “versace backstage original source” – bingo! Found this Italian photographer’s blog with raw backstage stuff. Grabbed four killer shots:
- Her fixing a model’s safety pin hem in Milan ’97
- Leaning on a ladder laughing during fittings
- Pointing at fabric swatches looking pissed
- That iconic black-and-white with her lion hair
The Goldmine Moment
Took a coffee break and randomly searched “versace family personal photos“. Found this forgotten Vogue UK gallery from their archives – all scanned film negatives from Gianni’s era. Got perfect shots of Donatella:
- Rocking python boots at Studio 54
- Biting a gold necklace on set
- Hugging Naomi Campbell mid-laugh backstage
Downloaded everything before the page could crash.
Finishing Up
Sorted everything into folders by year. Deleted like 30 trash files. Made backups twice because last time my hard drive died. Whole thing took almost 5 hours when I thought it’d take 20 minutes. Worth it though – now I got references for days. Next time? I’m just asking my fashion student niece instead of playing internet detective.
