Giorgio Armani has written the preface to a Gianni Versace biography. The retrospective, Gianni Versace: La Biografia, was first published in 2010, but has been reissued this year to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the designer’s death – featuring the new addition from Armani.
“Fifteen years after his death, what I remember of Gianni Versace? His incredible exuberance, a sense of happiness that mixes everything – ideas, trends, memories, art – with a sort of nonchalant vitality,” he wrote. “He was a great creator.”
“To be honest, we didn’t know each other very well – being so absorbed in our work. Even if we would have never admitted that, we were curious about each other and at the end of each show we used to ask: ‘What did Versace do?’ and ‘What did Armani do?'” he wrote. “The Italian mentality feeds on contradictions: from (cyclists) Coppi/Bartali to (actresses) Gina Lollobrigida/Sophia Loren – Armani and Versace were perfect for this game.”
Gianni Versace: La Biografia, penned by journalist Tony de Corcia, lands in stores on Thursday November 22.
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