The woman recreating the iconic Versace looks for American Crime Story

It feels like we’ve been waiting a lifetime for this moment (or, at least since the show was announced at the beginning of last year), but tonight, The Assassination of Gianni Versace finally hits UK screens. The brainchild of Ryan Murphy, the man behind 2016’s The People vs. OJ Simpson, the series chronicles the lead up to – and aftermath of – the iconic Italian designer’s brutal murder at the hands of serial killer Andrew Cunanan on July 15, 1997.

Versace’s ostentatious collections were definitive of the late 80s and early 90s, epitomising the excessive glamour of the era, as he and sister Donatella jetted back and forth between lavish houses in Florida, New York and Italy. The moment he was gunned down, on the steps leading up to his Miami mansion, was a dark day for fashion: marking the end of an era of such levels of opulence within the industry, maximalism gave way to minimalism and the overstated became decidedly less so.

Central to the show, then, were the costumes worn by the cast. Step in American Horror Story and Glee costume designer Lou Eyright, who was tasked with outfitting Donatella (Penelope Cruz), Gianni (Édgar Ramírez), Gianni’s boyfriend Antonio D’Amico (Ricky Martin), Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), et al: a daunting task, given the designer’s formidable legacy. “It was hugely intimidating starting work on the show,” Eyright tells us over the phone from LA. “You know, I was such a fan of Gianni’s work and everything Donatella has done over the course of the last two decades, so of course there was some apprehension there. But it was also really exciting. He had such a distinct aesthetic and we had to kind of tread the line between being authentic to Versace and making it our own.”

Eyright needn’t have worried. The show is a flamboyant visual feast for the eyes, as Donatella struts around the set in (fabulous and hugely-covetable) vintage Versace pieces, Gianni sweeps down the halls of his Miami home in luxurious Baroque-printed silk shorts and gowns, and Antonio lounges on the (Medusa-mosaiced) pool in some v barely-there logo pants. Ahead of The Assassination of Gianni Versace’s launch, we caught up with the costume designer to talk about the search for the perfect Versace pieces, the challenges she faced during production, and her favourite looks from the show.

How did you prepare in the time leading up to the show’s production?

Lou Eyright: Well, I started by educating myself on the era and the style of the time beforehand, and I particularly studied Versace’s work in the 80s and 90s, you know the Baroque collection, and the pop art one too. For weeks and weeks I pored over every book I could get my hands on, not just from a fashion point of view, but from art and culture and everything that went with it; Versace’s collection of artworks, his houses, everything. Allison (Leach, co-costume designer) and I spent time at the Fashion Institute of Design in LA as well: they have a huge archive of Versace pieces that we studied prior to shooting. And, of course, the series is also about Andrew Cunanan’s life, so we needed to understand the era thoroughly to be able to dress him properly. There was a lot of trips to the library and late nights scouring the internet involved (laughs).

How was it working between two completely opposing styles simultaneously: the high-octane, OTT glamour of the Versaces and the more grungy, downbeat look Cunanan has?

Lou Eyright: Well, you know, that’s what we do! We set out to tell a story through clothing and whether we have one aesthetic to cover, or 10, or 20, it’s part and parcel on the job. But working on American Crime Story was particularly daunting as we didn’t have as much time as I’d have liked to research. Pressure is good though, you have to live up to the challenge. So it was fun for us to cover both ends of the scale, from Gianni and Donatella and Antonio’s fabulous looks, right through to Andrew’s more downtrodden, understated costumes.

Going back to Versace, were there specific pieces you set out to find when you were creating Donatella and Gianni’s costumes?

Lou Eyright: So some of the garments were scripted very specifically: there’s a point where Gianni was designing all of these Western-inspired pieces – the leather jeans, the leather shirts with the gold collar tips, and the heavy gold Medusa detailing – they were all part of the script, so really we had to find those. We searched the web for weeks to find some of the pieces. Some we managed to get on eBay, and we found a number of styles through private collectors that we got in touch with, including a few in LA, which was quite lucky. We managed to source a few original pieces and then have them replicated, which was great. It was important to Ryan for it to be authentic, and both Penelope and Edgar were both thrilled to be wearing pieces that were actually designed by their real-life counterparts.

The Versace family denounced the show early on in production. Were you a little disappointed that they’d declined to be involved with the show?

Lou Eyright: Of course, I was a little disappointed they’d distanced themselves from it, but I never imagined they’d really be involved to be honest. It’s a story that must still carry a lot of hurt for them, and it was important for everyone involved that it would be handled sensitively. I wanted to make sure I represented the house of Versace as well as I possibly could, though, whether they were involved or not. If they did see it, I wanted them to be happy with the way it looked at least.

Penelope Cruz has been lauded for her performance and capturing the essence of Donatella. Which look epitomises Donatella for you?

Lou Eyright: My favourite was one that didn’t actually make it into the show! It was an authentic Versace shirt with this really bold baroque print from around 1994 and it was cut in the editing suite. But to be honest, I don’t know if I do have a favourite for her, actually. I think what was most important was that Penelope was able to pull off Donatella’s silhouette and stance. And so it was more about finding the right corsets and shapewear to help her transform into Donatella. We went to Agent Provocateur, we went to trashy lingerie stores, we had some made for her. But key to Penelope’s portrayal was the silhouette, definitely.

Did Penelope have a lot of input when it came to costumes? She’s friends with Donatella in real life, so I imagine she must have felt a lot of responsibility on her shoulders…

Lou Eyright: She did have a lot of input, yeah, and she definitely felt a lot of responsibility to portray Donatella in the best possible light. So we worked closely with her to ensure the garments had the highest level of respect and precision that they could have. Very early on, Allison flew out to Madrid to fit Penelope for the first time, and she put on the clothes and just slipped into character, like, she was Donatella! She was very instrumental in making sure everything was just right, which really helped us out.

Did Penelope wear anything other than Versace?

Lou Eyright: For the most part, she wore Versace, like Donatella herself did. But there were a few pieces in there that weren’t: a couple of Alaïa dresses, a Dolce & Gabbana corset, and I think one of the pairs of studded leather pants was vintage. Mainly we tried to stick to Versace, though.

Is there anything you would have done differently? Any pieces that you’d have loved to get your hands on?

Lou Eyright: I wish I’d had a little more prep time to really thoroughly study Gianni and Donatella, and really been able to get to grips with their relationship and the essence of their being. But that’s television, you know, you only get a few weeks to put it all together. I would have loved to have been able to go into all the Haute Couture work, and maybe visit the atelier if I’d been allowed to. But we just didn’t have the time or the resources to do that.

What did you think when you saw the show for the first time?

Lou Eyright: Oh, of course, I picked everything apart (laughs). But overall, on the whole, I think it looks beautiful. There’s always something you wish you’d done differently, or something you think you missed. That said, I’m very proud of the team that worked to create the show, and helped Ryan (Murphy) realise his vision. It’s a beautiful show and I’m so happy we all pulled it off.

Inside ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’s’ Story of High Fashion, Homicide and HIV

Are you watching The Assassination of Gianni Versace on FX? The series is the second in the American Crime Story anthology, the folks who brought you The People versus OJ Simpson. It’s based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth about Andrew Cunanan’s murderous spree in 1997 that ended in the shooting of the famous designer on the steps of his Miami mansion.

With openly gay Hollywood producer Ryan Murphy (executive producer, known for creating Nip/Tuck, Glee, Feud, and American Horror Story, among others) at the helm, The Assassination of Gianni Versace is sensational. Truly, it causes all the sensations. It’s super gay. It’s got fabulous ‘90s Versace fashions. It’s violent, bloody, and disturbing. It’s a little bit sexy (as sexy as you can be in a series about a spree killer) with a soupcon of nudity and a smidge of S&M. There are drugs, nightclubs, models, and hot military guys. It’s got an amazing cast, starring Darren Criss as Cunanan, Penelope Cruz savagely portraying Donatella Versace, Ricky Martin as Versace’s partner Antonio, and Edgar Ramirez – who looks and acts so much like the real Versace that it’s spooky – and featuring performers such as Judith Light, Mike Farrell, Finn Wittrock, and Broadway’s Annaleigh Ashford. The plot contrasts the pampered opulence of Versace’s privileged life with the underbelly creepiness of Cunanan and his development from a pathetic, disillusioned liar into a deranged, notorious killer. It’s fantastic, delicious television.

The show also includes a very powerful HIV storyline. Gianni Versace is revealed as being HIV positive at a time in history when homophobia and AIDS panic were rampant. Not only is Versace portrayed as HIV positive, he is shown to be at times so weak from advanced sickness that he needs help even to walk. Then, in later scenes, he’s shown to be recovered after (presumably) being put on antiretroviral therapy, which became available in the mid-1990s.

After his recovery, Versace decides to use his new lease on life not only to continue creating fashions but also to come out as gay at a time when not many celebrities were brave enough to do so.

“I was sick, but I didn’t die,” he says in Episode 5 of the show. “I have a second chance. It’s a miracle that I’m alive. And yet, I ask myself every day, what have I done to deserve this? Why am I still here? To be afraid? No. I’m alive, and I must use it.”

The Assassination of Gianni Versace might be the first major media movie or television show to present a person sick with advanced HIV infection and then recovered and vibrant due to the miracle of HIV medications. This is an amazing and important landmark for HIV in film/television, and the storyline is told with a lot of respect for those of us living with the virus. By exploring other aspects of the AIDS crisis and its implications in the aftermath of Versace’s murder, the series shows in living color what it was like to be living in the good ol’ bad ol’ ’90s.

I had a phone conversation with award-winning executive producer Brad Simpson and screenwriter and author Tom Rob Smith about the production, the creative process, and the decision to use HIV in the storyline.

Charles Sanchez: Why do you think it’s important to tell this story about Andrew Cunanan and Gianni Versace at this time?

Brad Simpson: This story, in a lot of ways, was a journey through the politics of gay identity and what it meant to be out in the 1990s. The 1990s being this volatile time – even though it’s still volatile for a lot of people – of the Defense of Marriage Act, and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and celebrities starting to come out, and the sort of shift and also the transformation with AIDS drugs that happened and a generation of activists who’d been politicized by the AIDS crisis, all intersecting in this decade – and it felt like, you know, for us, true crime is bigger than just a murder. It really felt to us like there was something to be said about the 1990s and about where we are today, by telling this story.

Tom Rob Smith: [Cunanan] is very unusual. One of the things we’ve confronted is that people are talking about him as being a serial killer, and that’s just simply not the case. This is someone who didn’t have a pathology of violence. He wasn’t committing arson or sexual assault, all of the early warning signals that you have with lots of serial killers. This is someone that, if you had jumped back and met him at age 20, and said, “You’re going to be a killer,” he would have found it impossible to believe. Exploring him presents lots of challenges, and … it was very interesting to contrast [Versace] as someone who creates, as someone who is curious about the world, and someone who experienced intolerance and managed to navigate around it, with Cunanan, who just seemed to be defeated by it.

Simpson: Gianni Versace was one of the few people who were celebrities who were out [as gay] in the 1990s. It was actually shocking to us. We went back to make a list of who was out pre-Ellen [DeGeneres] coming out, and the list is 5, 6, 7 famous people? No fashion designers.

I think this is a show that only Ryan Murphy could get on the air. Because I like to think that we’re incredibly advanced, but the show is deeply gay and touches on things that you haven’t seen dealt with on TV before. There’s a freedom that Ryan’s success gives to allow us to tell a story like this.

Sanchez: Speaking of things we’ve never seen before, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen [on film], from an HIV standpoint, a person with HIV, sick and near death, turning around and becoming miraculously better through medications. What was the process of deciding how to tell that part of the story?

Smith: The reason we told that … it was just very powerful that Versace was very sick in ’93-’94 when his symptoms became severe, and it’s debated by the family, so I should put it in as a caveat that the family, they dispute this, but …

Sanchez: I believe in the book it says that, publicly, he had cancer.

Smith: Yeah, that’s right. I think they say “ear cancer,” and we know that is infamous [as code for HIV]. But we do know that he was very sick in ’93-’94, that he was on the brink of death, that is uncontested, and we know that he was refusing to submit to this illness. And that he would walk, still, when he was very sick, from his house in Miami to that news kiosk; he would go with Antonio [his partner], and he’d be so weak that Antonio would have to carry the magazines back. I thought it was a remarkably powerful structure [for the script] to have that walk contrasted with the walk when he’s then fully recovered. And he is then, in ’97 [when he’s shot], walking to that newsstand, not needing anyone’s help. He’s full of the joy of life in many ways. This medication gave him a rejuvenation.

And it was a great life force, you know, [Versace] was saying: “I want to live, I have so much more to give. I have so much more work, but also in terms of the people I love, my grandchildren, my family. I’m going to cling on to life for as long as I can.” And this new wave of medication came along, and he was saved.

Simpson: There’s something bittersweet about the fact that he thought he was going to die and had been given this new lease on life. There was this generation of men who thought they had a death sentence and then were slowly realizing maybe they didn’t. He was starting to create again, and right at that moment, his life was taken away.

There were rumors that ran at the time, the hysteria after Versace was killed, there were these rumors spread by the media and some nefarious friends of Andrew that Versace gave Andrew AIDS and this was a revenge murder, and this is a widely held belief that is actually still held by a lot of people. It was revealed in Andrew’s autopsy that he was actually HIV negative. It was a narrative that was out there and one that we wanted to correct with the show: The evil murderer was actually not the one who had AIDS; it was the victim.

Sanchez: What do you think the responsibility of the media and artists of your caliber is in telling stories about HIV in the modern world?

Smith: It’s hard to come up with a generalized formula for it. I think you have to react to the nature of the period and the people involved. In the ’80s, the stories were horrific. It’s very hard to go into the ’80s and find stories that weren’t heartbreaking. And so, if you were telling that story, I don’t see how you could put a demand that somehow people be upbeat about it.

The responsibility just comes from looking at the truth of it and not landing on what appears to be an easy explanation. I think that’s both wrong and offensive.

Simpson: Ryan, you know, obviously did The Normal Heart. We had a lot of conversation in terms of how to portray the AIDS-related illnesses. We’re adapting Maureen’s book, and this is her position that, you know, [Versace] was positive. We felt that to not portray that would be to play into the stigma that still surrounds HIV to this day.

Sanchez: Speaking of stigma, I wanted to ask you about that. You and Nina Jacobson [Simpson’s producing partner] were on NPR at the end of January, and you both stated [while talking about the series] that HIV stigma was no longer prevalent. Then, two prominent HIV bloggers [Josh Robbins and Mark S. King] called you out on it on social media. I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about it.

Simpson: Yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, I feel horrible about it. On radio, unlike an interview like this, you’re like racing through it and trying to be compact in your answers. I did not say want I meant to say. That’s not an excuse; it’s just an explanation.

We talked about this a lot in terms of how to talk about Versace’s HIV status. One of the conversations we had, we felt that were we to ignore our belief in that status and Maureen’s beliefs on that status, then we would be playing into the very stigma that we’re all trying to get rid of, that we would be reifying the stigma and shame of living with HIV by denying that part of a character. What I meant to say was that we didn’t want to play into the stigma of having HIV. What I ended up saying was that there is no stigma to having HIV today. I don’t believe that at all!

I’m not going to pretend that I know what it’s like to live with HIV or how complicated it is to decide how public to be about your status with partners, with friends, with family, or how to navigate the health care system. That’s something that I can’t know, that I can only hear about. But obviously, or maybe not obviously, I’m sorry that I misspoke, and I regret it. Of course, I know that there’s a large and unfortunate stigma to having HIV, still, in so many ways.

Smith: One of the reasons we wanted to do this [show] is to attack the stigma. This stigma is so wrong, and it’s so corrosive. It still exists today; we’re not just talking about something that is historic. We talk [on the show] about the idea that you could build a company that’s worth billions of dollars, be a fashion icon, and that it could be reduced to having no value simply by the factor of an HIV diagnosis. That isn’t an exaggeration. It seems to me to be a real injustice.

Yet, when you look at Gianni Versace’s words, you know, to me it was code. I can’t declare for sure what he was saying, but when he says in the ’90s after he recovers from the most severe symptoms, “I’m not going to live my life filled with regret and shame anymore,” to me, that’s him saying: “I’ve recovered, and I’m not just recovered physically. I’m not going to walk around feeling terrible anymore. I’m going to live; I’m going to love.” And I found that very powerful, and I really wanted to capture that.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Inside ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’s’ Story of High Fashion, Homicide and HIV

American Crime Story: Why did Gianni Versace die?

The audacious murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, shot in cold blood on the marble steps of his Miami Beach villa in 1997, has never been a “whodunnit”. The perpetrator is well known.

He was 27-year-old Andrew Cunanan, a serial killer who had already murdered four men before gunning down Versace on a sticky July day over two decades ago. Cunanan killed himself in a houseboat over a week later, following what remains one of the biggest manhunts in US history.

But mystery still shrouds the murder, with numerous conspiracy theories as to why Cunanan targeted Versace and whether the two had been lovers.

The second season of American Crime Story, entitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace, seeks to filter these murky waters, relying heavily on Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth’s bestselling book on the Versace murder, Vulgar Favours.

The series, starring Édgar Ramírez as Versace, Ricky Martin as his long-term lover Antonio D’Amico, Penélope Cruz as Gianni’s sister Donatella and Glee star Darren Criss as Cunanan, was filmed in Versace’s Miami Beach villa, now a boutique hotel, which looks much as it did when the designer lived there.

The series has received positive reviews from critics and viewers since it premiered in January in the US, with the exception of one family. The Versaces have broken years of silence to publicly condemn everything about the series and Orth’s version of events.

“The Versace family has neither authorised nor had any involvement whatsoever in the TV series about the death of Mr Gianni Versace,” reads a statement released by the fashion house.

“Since Versace did not authorise the book on which it is partly based, nor has it taken part in the writing of the screenplay, this TV series should only be considered as a work of fiction.”

Putting aside the family statement for a moment, it must be said that Orth is no slouch. She started following Cunanan after his second murder, analysing the gay scene in California where he had built a life on dreams and lies at a time when most of the mainstream media were nervous about broaching such topics.

She followed his trail from San Diego to San Francisco and on to Minneapolis and Chicago, and was ready to publish a piece in Vanity Fair on the unknown serial killer when she got the news that Versace might have been her subject’s fifth victim.

The story of a serial killer quickly became solely one about the murder of one of fashion’s greatest icons. “Versace’s killing meant calling the piece back, taking it apart on an impossible deadline and trying to stay ahead of what rapidly became the number one story in the country,” Orth wrote recently.

“The media circus was on; in this pre-social-media time, Cunanan’s murder spree was an early harbinger of someone willing to do anything to become famous.”

Orth had Versace’s name in her notebooks long before Cunanan ever arrived in Florida. She was then the only one on the scene with insider knowledge of the suspect during the manhunt, from interviewing countless of Cunanan’s friends and associates.

Many told her conflicting tales based on Cunanan’s tangled web of lies, but they almost all agreed on one thing: Cunanan had met Versace.

American Crime Story picks up this thread and runs with it, which was always the Versace family’s greatest fear. They not only strongly deny that Versace knew Cunanan, they also denounce rumors that the fashion designer was HIV positive.

The Versaces were able to seal Gianni’s autopsy report and keep it from the press, so no one outside the family knows whether the designer had HIV, a cornerstone of Orth’s version of events.

As the theory goes, Cunanan was worried he had had HIV and suspected Versace was the one who gave it to him. But as the Versace family makes clear in its statement, that version is conjecture: “Orth makes assertions about Gianni Versace’s medical condition based on a person who claims he reviewed a postmortem test result, but she admits it would have been illegal for the person to have reviewed the report in the first place (if it existed at all).

“In making her lurid claims, she ignores contrary information provided by members of Mr Versace’s family, who were in the best position to know the facts of his life.”

Those who were in the Versace villa the morning he died also dispute facts in the drama’s version of events. As an investigative reporter, I covered Versace’s murder in the mid-1990s and recently travelled between Miami and Rome to talk to the people who were around him at the time of his death.

I had previously met Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s partner, now 59, but he had always refused to discuss the case. In the wake of the drama being broadcast, however, he finally agreed to talk to me about that day.

He told me the drama is in stark contrast to the actual events as he remembers them. “What is depicted is not what happened that morning,” he explained, saying that he never once touched Versace’s body, so therefore was not covered in blood as Ricky Martin is in the opening scene. “It is an inaccurate portrayal of [Gianni], of that day and of how we were as a couple.”

“Significant parts of the [series] do not reflect the reality of the events that took place. I feel – together with those who know me well – that my character… is a misrepresentation of myself and what our relationship was like.”

D’Amico only met Martin, who plays him, after filming was finished.

The drama also suggests that D’Amico regularly procured young men for himself and Versace, any of whom could have given the designer HIV. D’Amico has declared that he does not have HIV as proof that Versace didn’t either.

Others around him also suggest that there is no way Cunanan could have stalked Versace and learnt his daily routine, as is depicted in the TV series. According to Charles Podesta, Versace’s butler at the time, they had only just arrived in Florida from the designer’s couture show in Paris. Podesta remembers the details of that morning.

“Gianni stopped by the kitchen to say he wasn’t eating first, as usual,” Podesta told me in an interview in Miami last December. “Instead, he was going to the corner for some magazines.”

That wasn’t his usual routine. His staff regularly brought the morning papers to the outdoor table where he and D’Amico ate breakfast by the swimming pool. He also remembers the distinct sound of gunfire that followed, “a strange noise, several loud pops one after the other”. And it was he, Podesta, who called 911.

While such details may seem banal, in the bigger picture they do beg the question: what other lines have been blurred, by Orth and the programme-makers, between fact and fiction?

American Crime Story: Why did Gianni Versace die?

What’s on TV tonight: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and Rent for Sex

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

BBC Two, 9.00pm

Ryan Murphy’s true crime series follows up 2016’s dramatisation of the OJ Simpson trial with the story of serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who murdered at least five people over a three-month period, including the fashion designer Gianni Versace. Murphy and scriptwriter Tom Rob Smith use the word assassination very carefully here: the operatic opening scenes depict Versace (Édgar Ramírez) as a modern-day Medici prince, dispensing cheerful patronage to all in his Miami Beach fiefdom. By contrast, Cunanan (Darren Criss) is portrayed as a man so insecure in his own skin that he is almost physically incapable of telling the truth: “You tell gay people you’re gay and straight people you’re straight,” exclaims an exasperated friend. “I tell people what they need to hear,” comes the too-calm reply.

Both Criss and Ramirez are excellent and there’s strong support from Ricky Martin as Versace’s bewildered live-in boyfriend and a perhaps slightly too-camp Penélope Cruz as Donatella. Smith’s solid script does a good job of juggling various timelines to show how this particular killer came to be. Sarah Hughes

What’s on TV tonight: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and Rent for Sex

TV tonight: ‘Survivor’ tries to ‘reverse the curse’ in new season

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
FX, 10 ET/PT

As the series continues moving backward in time, we get to know more about spree killer Andrew Cunanan’s (Darren Criss) backstory and the how he became intertwined with the men he would later kill. Tonight’s episode shows Cunanan at a particularly desperate period of his life and depicts the beginnings of his relationship with David Madson (Cody Fern), with whom he becomes obsessed. Criss’ performance remains unsettling, managing to make Cunanan terrifying even in episodes without scenes of violence.

TV tonight: ‘Survivor’ tries to ‘reverse the curse’ in new season

What’s on TV tonight

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
BBC Two, 9pm
Ryan Murphy follows up The People vs OJ Simpson with a nine-part “true crime” drama, written by Tom Rob Smith (London Spy), telling the story of the death of the international fashion mogul Gianni Versace, who was murdered by Andrew Cunanan. Versace was the fifth victim of Cunanan’s killing spree, shot dead on the doorstep of his Miami mansion in July 1997. The drama is based on a book, Vulgar Favours by Maureen Orth, which, according to a statement from the Versace family, was not authorised, and therefore “this TV series should only be considered as a work of fiction”. The People vs OJ Simpson was also criticised for its historical inaccuracies, but that didn’t stop it from being a quality drama — it was nominated for 22 Emmys, winning nine. The Assassination of Gianni Versace isn’t in quite the same class, but it is stylish and compelling (and the interiors and costume design are impeccable), so don’t let its habit of playing fast and loose with the truth put you off. The first episode opens with the brutal murder and then heads back to 1990, with Cunanan (Darren Criss) encountering Versace (Édgar Ramírez, a ringer for the designer) in a nightclub and later for post-opera drinks. (Versace’s family deny a link between Versace and his killer.) Then we’re back to the crime scene, and the efforts to save Versace’s life and the subsequent police hunt for Cunanan. It really gets going with the introduction of Penélope Cruz as Donatella, who arrives at the Versace compound to establish control of her brother’s empire.

What’s on TV tonight

TV Weekly Now | Best Bets for Feb 28, 2018: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Well, he always wanted to be famous and he was willing to do quite literally anything to accomplish that dubious goal. In the new episode “Descent,” however, Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) has reason to reflect that he should have been careful what he wished for, as he celebrates his birthday in San Diego. Actually, however, there’s scant reason to celebrate, given that there are unmistakable signs that his life is falling apart completely.

TV Weekly Now | Best Bets for Feb 28, 2018: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Wednesday’s best TV: The Assassination of Gianni Versace; Save Me

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
9pm, BBC Two
The follow-up to The People v OJ Simpson charts the story behind the 1997 murder of the fashion designer outside his Florida home. Darren Criss excels as Andrew Cunanan, a fantasist serial killer who, in this reading, calls to mind Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley. Penélope Cruz and Ricky Martin add star power. Jonathan Wright

Wednesday’s best TV: The Assassination of Gianni Versace; Save Me

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: a crime of fashion

The Assassination of Gianni Versace is the second instalment in Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski’s American Crime Story anthology series. Predecessor show The People v OJ Simpson swept award season, taking home multiple Golden Globes and Primetime Emmies.

Following the success of their Bafta-winning series, the pair are back with the second instalment in their American Crime Story series. The Assassination of Gianni Versace – written by Child 44 and Tom Rob Smith – dramatises the mysterious events surrounding the 1997 murder of the Italian fashion designer, Gianni Versace.

Where The People v OJ Simpson unpicked the OJ Simpson murder trial against a backdrop of inflamed race-relation tensions in America, The Assassination of Gianni Versace illustrates the trappings of fame and examines issues of homophobia and class tensions in 90s America.

When does The Assassination of Gianni Versace air? America Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace UK airs on Wednesday 28 February 2018. Read on for all the reasons you need to watch this murder most fashionable.

A whydunnit: catch the cultural culprit

Little is actually known Versace’s death, but is based on the speculative book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in the US History by Maureen Orth. What we do know is that titular assassin Andrew Cunanan rose to notoriety after concluding a cross-country murder spree by gunning down Gianni Versace on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion.

The story is told in reverse, beginning with the crime and then examining the circumstances leading up to Versace’s murder. Or rather, assassination. Unlike The People v OJ Simpson, the political ramifications don’t play out in the public eye. The storyline of Assassination doesn’t depend on the episode before: each installation could exist as a short, stand-alone film. In both stories, we know who did it. The real culprit here are sociological prejudices – and they’re held accountable for the casualties.

Killing it: a cast to die for

Much like The People vs OJ Simpson, Assassination has an all-star lineup. Warbling lawyers John Travolta and Sarah Paulson are replaced by glamorous Versace siblings, Gianni (Édgar Ramírez) and Donatella (Penélope Cruz). Ramírez offers a touching portrait of an artist as a sensitive soul, whereas Cruz commands whatever room she struts into.

Darren Criss, the preppy songbird of Glee, is out there using his jazz hands for evil. Criss steals the show with his portrayal of serial killer Andrew Cunanan. He is a handsome, charming, bespectacled psychopath; practicing his reactions in the mirror, able to switch personalities in an instant, and curating his backstory to ensure he ‘tell people what they want to hear.’ Despite the shape-shifting personality, Criss conveys the rage and desire for fame that drove Cunanan to his rampage in a performance that exalts Cunanan to the legendary heights he aspired to.

Soundtrack: murder never sounded so good

Reminiscent of American Psycho, the film based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel, the pop-culture soundtrack speak volumes to the serial killer’s state of mind. But here, Bateman’s sinister soft-rock beats are replaced by pop tracks and disco. Andrew celebrates his notoriety to Laura Branigan’s gay anthem, Gloria. He prowls for victims in gay nightclubs to classics like ’Last Night a DJ Saved My Life’ and La Bouche’s ‘Be My Lover’. The nuance of a serial killer stalking a supposedly safe space isn’t lost on Criss himself, who stated in an interview with GQ that he was ‘playing the gay boogeyman.’

Nice to look at, hurts to watch

From the opening sequence when Versace walks through his mansion in a flowing pink robe, it’s clear that this is going to be an overabundance of aesthetics, even for a story about a fashion designer. The visual opulence of 90s Versace and the Miami and masterful performances make must-watch TV this February.

True crime is a genre that typically relies on horrific acts of violence against women. In Assassination, closeted gay men are the victims. Even when the show is violent, elegance oozes from every angle. The men die like girls. They are strangled at their lover’s hands. Even after death, their bodies are glamorized and sensationalised. Assassination is steeped in toxic masculinity – from the fulfilment of the American Dream to Clinton’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

Truer than true crime

True crime dramas have been riding a wave of popularity for some time. The true crime craving kicked off in 2015 with cult classics like The Jinx and Making a Murderer. From podcast favourite Serial to teen heartthrob Zac Efron’s edgy new role as murderer Ted Bundy, we’re having a true crime renaissance.

The show itself is, ultimately, a dramatic fill-in-the blank of a crime that remains shrouded in mystery. Painfully picturesque, with Assassination our obsession with true crime is exalted to sinister heights. Why do we sensationalise these serial killers? Why have old scandals like I, Tonya and the upcoming Tarantino film about the Manson murders continue to capture our imaginations? In a show where society is on trial, the audience should – and does – feel uncomfortable watching.

Assassination was denounced by Donatella herself as ‘a work of fiction’; which is unsurprising given it’s a TV show based on a book loosely based on the true story. Fashion shows, platinum Penelope Cruz, and Wes Anderson-esque motel rooms – even Ricky Martin is livin’ la vida loca as Gianni Versace’s partner of 15 years. It’s not what you’d imagine when you picture the death of Versace – it’s better.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: a crime of fashion

“Versace” kills as crime drama’s second season

While many people have kept up with producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s series “American Horror Story,” some have also taken notice of their other anthology show, “American Crime Story.”

Like “Horror Story,” each season of “Crime Story” is different from the last, with its own story, setting and characters.

However, while “Horror Story” contains fictional tales that try to frighten audiences, “Crime Story” shines light on historical crime cases.

When the first season, “The People vs. O.J. Simpson,” debuted Feb. 2, 2016, with its great acting and storytelling, it set the bar high for seasons to come.

While I had to wait almost two years for the second season, I am glad I did not lose interest in the show, as its next case has not only gotten me reinvested in the series but also keeps me eager for future seasons.

“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” follows not only the death of the world-famous fashion designer but also takes a peek into the mind of Versace’s murderer, Andrew Cunanan.

Before the story even begins, however, the show gave me an incredible look inside Versace’s Miami home. If it turns out the show was filmed inside his actual house, it would not surprise me, as the scenery is beautiful and befitting of a rich man.

Last season, despite its stellar cast, I did not enjoy Cuba Gooding Jr.’s portrayal of alleged serial killer O.J. Simpson. His voice was not as deep as Simpson’s, nor was he tough enough to match the former football player’s demeanor.

With actor Édgar Ramírez’s take on Versace, I have seen no issues with his acting. In this role, I genuinely see him as a famous designer with his own personal struggles.

However, the real marvel of this season is actor Darren Criss’ Cunanan. One minute he is lying about his relationship with Versace, and the next he is duct taping the head of an older rich man for money.

This portrayal of the killer is not only crazy, manipulative and remorseless, but he also bears a striking resemblance to the real-life Cunanan. Because of the show’s focus on his background of murders and obsession with Versace, I consider him the true star of the season.

The final main star worth talking about is Penélope Cruz, who is also starting to shine in her role of Versace’s sister, Donatella, who takes over the business for him after his death. Her dislike of Versace’s final boyfriend, Antonio, adds more drama, even if not on the same level as Criss’ unpredictable nature.

As for the story, audiences should not expect the docudrama to portray everything exactly the way it happened, as all the facts are still unknown and certain dramatic elements are included to keep viewers invested.

One of the main details the show adds is Versace having AIDs before he died. Personally, this does not add or take away from the story for me but is rather believable, considering the number of homosexual men who continue to fall victim to the disease.

Regardless, I still believe the show can be educational, as I had never heard of Versace or his murder until watching this.

I have only seen the first two episodes so far, and I can already tell this show will be another great season for “American Crime Story.” I am unsure it will be superior to the first, but it does not have to be. With different crimes come different stories, which are told in different ways.

“Versace” kills as crime drama’s second season