Bathrobes are my favorite, and usually I wear whatever they have in the hotels, but when my friend Aaron, who does PR for Versace, found out I was coming to Kansas City to shoot, he asked me what I might want from Versace, and I jokingly said a bathrobe. So he actually went and sent me a Versace bathrobe that is the loudest, gaudiest thing ever. I put it on and feel like I go full Wolf of Wall Street. I actually wear it more than anything else, though, especially with a pair of Adidas slides and a bathing suit to the pool — it feels very Ricky Martin in The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
This week, the Water Cooler gang looks at major races within the 2018 Creative Arts Emmy categories. Plus, is it too early to start talking about the 2019 Limited Series race? (Answer: No)
We’re returning to the 2018 Emmy cycle this week. Two weeks ago, we looked at some of our favorite categories – Main Title Theme and Main Title Design. This week, we look at a host of categories within the below-the-line 2018 Creative Arts Emmy categories. We predict Variety Special (Live), Drama, Comedy, and Limited Series Casting, Cinematography, Costumes, Reality Show Hosting, and Production Design. Looking at these categories sometimes gives Emmy watchers a hint at what could dominate in the main categories. Plus, we take a quick look at this weekend’s TCA award winners. | 6 August 2018
WANT TO KNOW ALL THE FACTS ABOUT THE COSTUMES IN THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE?
In this new episode of Meet the Hollywood Costume Designers Lou Eyrich had a chat with us about how she created the ‘90s-era Miami “heat and sizzle” for the tv show The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
Spoiler: it wasn’t easy at all!
Bonus: Lou takes you to one of the most beautiful costume houses in Los Angeles. | 23 February 2018
In “American Crime Story’s” second season, creator Ryan Murphy explored the social significance of the murder of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace (Édgar Ramírez) by spree-killer Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) outside his Miami mansion in 1997. In particular, Murphy contrasts the high and low worlds of Versace and Cunanan in Miami, the difficulty of coming out of the closet in the ’90s, and the culture’s underlying homophobia.
Visually, it was a tour-de-force for production designer Judy Becker (“Feud: Bette and Joan”) and costume designer Lou Eyrich (a three-time Emmy winner for “American Horror Story”). And Miami’s South Beach became the visual epicenter. “It’s about the clash between the high Versace world and the low Cunanan world,” Becker said. “But then within Cunanan’s world there were the contrasts of being taken care of by sugar daddies and being on his own.”
The clothes, too, reflected the difference between Versace, who transformed fashion into a glam party world, and Cunanan, who aspired to be a part of that fantasy. “Versace liked to be stylish but comfortable, and Andrew was a chameleon: He dressed the part to fit into the older gentleman’s world,” said Eyrich.
Miami: Black and Gold Meets Pink
The Versace mansion (Casa Casuarina) has since become a boutique hotel, but, fortunately, the production was allowed access. The opening of the first episode (“The Man Who Would Be Vogue”) was completely shot in the Versace mansion, including the interior, the pool area, and the first courtyard. The interior design was intricate and extravagant, with two rooms made out of seashells. Since much of the original furniture was sold, the art department commissioned Italian upholsterers to recreate the original, Versace-designed, furniture fabric, accentuating black and gold.
“His ambition and authenticity were important to Ryan,” Becker said. “Versace was rich and successful so the sets showed the success, taste, and his personality. He was very flamboyant, but we didn’t go crazy with the palette. We used a lot of tone on tone, whereas Andrew’s sugar daddies lived in monochromatic homes, and when he was alone, Andrew lived in a world of beige.”
In the second episode (“Manhunt”), Becker built two important sets in LA for the Miami locations: the interior of the grungy Normandy Plaza Hotel, where Andrew stayed, and a more upscale hotel, where he worked as a prostitute. Both emphasized different shades of pink, at Ryan’s request. “It’s a color you see in Miami,” she said. “It’s indicative of the sunsets, and it represents the pink triangle that gay men had to wear in concentration camps.
“The Normandy had cracking on the walls and it represented a place where Andrew had no power and was alone and poor. Ryan kept telling me to add more cracks. It really showed the decay. The other hotel had pink neon and the Memphis look [with bold colors], and was a place where Andrew held power.”
High and Low Fashion Statements
Without the cooperation of the Versace fashion house, costume designers Eyrich and Allison Leach were left to their own creative devices, so they turned to online resellers to purchase authentic Versace pieces while making garments for the principal actors. Two Versace standouts included the pink robe that he wore in the beginning, and the iconic black leather bondage dress worn by his sister, Donatella (Penélope Cruz ).
In fact, Eyrich’s favorite outfit for Versace was a leather shirt and pants that she recreated from one of his research books. “It really showed the beauty of his work,” she said. But the bondage dress was a difficult construction challenge. “Trying to figure out how he draped that had all of us in the department full of awe and respect for Versace and his meticulous hand,” she added.
However, when it came to Cunanan, there was obviously a lot more artistic license in dressing the 27-year-old hustler, who relied on relationships with wealthy older men to achieve the appearance of success and affluence. Eyrich and Leach mainly used descriptions from Maureen Orth’s book, “Vulgar Favors,” from which the FX series was adapted.
But when Cunanan fled to Miami, desperate and embittered, he planned the murder of Versace with few resources. “He has very little clothes left after his killing spree and he’s using drugs and losing weight,” said Eyrich. “We back track and tell his story, dressing him very sporty and conservative or preppy to fit in.”
“It was more about not letting him stand out,” added Eyrich. “Dressing him up in a linen sport coat with the perfect jeans and a loafer for when he’s at the height of the high life, to finding a place when he’s destitute and his clothes are all too big on him.”
Discussions on a possible replacement, successor or assistant to Donatella had been the leitmotif of Versace shows for the past year. This snappily staged show was all the better for the lack of such talk. Instead its main message was the way the clothes were splattered with graphics. Tabloid-style covers from a daily known as The Versace, with headlines like Super Exclusive! Or Versace Finally Speaks!
Clear references to the TV series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. In a statement in January, the house stressed that the Versace family “had neither authorized nor had any involvement in the TV series,” and that it “should be treated as a work of fiction.”
Presented under a brilliantly imagined arbor of hanging wisteria on a Perspex catwalk in the courtyard of the house’s historic palazzo on via Gesù. Backed up by a punchy soundtrack, including the driving Inhliziyo by Faka; and a top notch cast, starring a particularly aloof Kendall Jenner – poured eye-bogglingly into a great chain, jewel and tropical floral print mini dress – and Bella Hadid in a miniature ruffled black leather dress.
All told, there was nothing terribly wrong with this co-ed collection and indeed it had plenty of hip and attractive fashion. But it did lack any proper drama and real excitement – two qualities one has come to expect from the Medusa house.
One could only admire the cool chalk stripe suits in pale gray where the stripe was made up of mini Versaces; or the day-glow pastel suits in neon pink and neon green. However, it was strange to witness a Versace runway collection that reminded one, if anything, of Supreme. That New York streetwear brand has been all over Italian catwalks this year, but one did not expect it in Versace.
At the end, Donatella took a dazzling bow. Clearly in charge, looking her audience right in the eye, after more or less closing her back stage for 12 months.
How accurate was the TV series on the truly awful death of her brother? Ultimately, it was much more about the dark loser Andrew Cunanan who went on a killing spree across America before tragically shooting Gianni in Miami.
Quite frankly, speaking as someone who met, interviewed, dined with and attended parties thrown by Gianni, I found the series visually very accurate. Its sound, on the other hand, felt all wrong. Despite dutiful performances, Hispanic actors – none of whom sounded remotely Italian – played all the key characters of Donatella, Gianni and his partner Antonio D’Amico. Which was telling, seeing as today is June 16, and Bloomsday, the day when the action takes places in Dublin in James Joyce’s Ulysses, the greatest English-language novel of the 20th century. Imagine asking a bunch of Welshmen to play all the Irishman in a TV series of Ulysses. Wouldn’t work would it? Didn’t work in the TV series either.
Swoon for the nipped waists and perfectly tailored cummerbunds of Starz’s Edwardian adaptation of Howards End, another well-dressed period epic, and perhaps the Television Academy will follow suit. (Those artfully windswept updos should get their due in the hairstyling category as well.) Fast-forward 80-some years, and you’ll arrive at FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story—a fashion-filled opus made all the more impressive by its resourcefulness. (Costume designer Lou Eyrich didn’t have permission to use any actual Versace designs on-screen.) And we can’t forget another stylish favorite: Netflix’s The Crown, more specifically that slinky number Princess Margaret wears during her charged photo shoot with Antony Armstrong-Jones.
Going from starring on the show Glee to playing a serial killer in true crime drama The Assassination of Gianni Versace is a bold step to say the least. But while actor Darren Criss might be taking risks in his career, style-wise this is a steady look (long-sleeved polo, slim black jeans, Chelsea boots). Then there’s the V-shaped stripe emblazoned across his chest – you don’t want to play it too safe, after all.
The hit TV seriesThe Assassination of Gianni Versace has been an explosion of visual opulence: colourful rococo prints, medusa heads, studded leather, and general onslaught of golden-accented nineties gaudiness.
For a crime series to be so deeply entrenched in the realm of fashion is rare, and impressive when one considers there was absolutely no involvement or assistance from the House of Versace, with Donatella stating that the show was a ‘work of fiction’. Rather, costume designers Lou Eyrich and Alison Leach went about gathering vintage Versace from online re-sellers and meticulously re-creating Gianni’s era-defining looks themselves.
The result? A wardrobe so extensive that it had to be stored in warehouses during filming, and so remarkable that we’ve rounded up our favourite looks below:
THE BONDAGE DRESS
In the fall of 1992, Gianni Versace re-crafted fetish wear into high fashion via the Versace ‘Miss S&M’ show, more commonly known as the ‘Bondage’ collection, complete with dog collars, whips, and leather.
The scene pictured above sees Edgar Ramirez (as Gianni) hand in hand with Penelope Cruz (as Donatella) as they storm the red carpet in a weighty recreation of the ’93 moment in which Donatella achieved global stardom while wearing the most famous piece to come from the collection, the bondage dress. Three versions of the dress were made for filming (including one specifically for the scene where Gianni destroys it with scissors).
“It is such an iconic dress, and it it was scripted that it definitely needed to be that dress to tell the story of her coming into her of her own stardom,” costume designer Leach told Vanity Fair on constructing this piece. “Just from a construction standpoint and materials, it was such beautiful leather dress that had to fit perfectly—and all these different angles that the neck and the, you know, skirt had to swath just, just right.”
THE CLASSIC PRINT
Versace robes of today – with their frenzied clashing and colossal, staring Medusa heads – are often met with a raised eyebrow or two, especially given their penchant for attracting the flashy and the trashy.
But, Ricky Martin (who gives a commendable performance as Gianni’s partner, Antonio D’Amico) is clad in a simplistic, elegant rendition. It is not clear if this is authentic Versace or a clever recreation, but the mirroring of the clean blue and white print in the geometric mosaics of the backdrop is visually very satisfying.
THE RED JUMPSUIT
A brief moment of caution-to-the-wind, jaw-droppingly impressive dancing from Darren Chriss (who plays murderer Andrew Cunanan) while wearing an utterly ridiculous, patent red jumpsuit. Devo’s 1980 hit ‘Whip It’ plays in the background, and is the finishing touch that renders this scene our favourite of a series which is, at times, difficult to watch.
In fact, we think you should watch it – and you can do so here.
THE LACE VEIL
The lace veil Penelope Cruz wears in this shot is a direct reference to the one that Donatella Versace wore for her brother’s funeral – stark against the actor’s peroxide blonde wig.
Long has funeral-ware merged with fashion – especially in the case of fashion-funerals, and many of the high-profile guests at Gianni’s funeral (like Princess Diana) wore his designs to commemorate his life’s work. After all, black is the colour of bereavement, but also the most timeless and classic of all hues.
THE FASHION SHOW
The fashion show scene recreated Gianni’s 1997 haute couture show, with it’s leather headbands and Gianni’s Versace bride. It represents a poignant moment in the 90s where a pre-existing desire for athletic, healthy models shifted to one for the ‘waifs’. We see this as a point of contention between the Versace siblings. We particularly enjoyed the recreation of Versace’s ‘bride’ in her glittering silver dress and veil.
In the series, Gianni is quoted as Watch the original show, which took place at the Ritz in Paris, here.
"A bride, in a silver dress, with a veil pulled back behind her head, not covering her face. Not a virgin bride, a Versace bride. She will be a woman who’s loved many men before. A woman who’s finally found her equal, a match for her passions. She won’t be dainty, she won’t be timid. She will be proud and strong. And that’s how I will end my show. "
THE BLUSH PINK FLORAL JACKET
The butterfly is a key motif of Gianni’s Versace reign, and the pink, butterfly-covered, waist-pinching jacket that Cruz wears in the Versace studio scene is unapologetically loud. Add in the huge Medusa head necklace and the heavy black eye makeup and we’re left with pure ostentatious drama, especially when offset with the clean, white shirt Gianni wears in the scene.
We’re doubtful that Penelope Cruz will be taking this look off-camera (even though Margot Robbie recently did).
GIANNI’S PINK AND GOLD ROBE
The breakfast scene that takes place in the courtyard of Gianni’s extravagant villa at the opening of the series – and the spectacular, pink and gold robe he wears carries a lot of visual weight.
The material picks up and compliments the gold and turquoise accents of the casa, and bestows him with a kind of imperious magnificence against the stonewashed white walls of the house. True Miami prestige.
THE LACE SHIRT
The lace shirt Gianni wears on the nightclub scene alludes to (or perhaps authenticates) the original design he made in the 90s – one which was owned by Elton John.
WINGED DANCERS
Here is the program’s reimagining of a night club that many believe it is based on Southbeach’s Twist, a famous gay spot which claimed to have caught Andrew Cunanan on security footage a few days before Versace’s murder during the trial.
Filled to bursting point with muscular, beautiful men clad in gilded angel wings and the hungry eyes of others as classic eighties pop pumps through their limbs, this scene harnesses the fabulous fashion and outrageous fun of the nineties gay scene.
THE DENIM CUT-OFFS
He dresses up, he dresses down. The mid-thigh length denim cut-offs and the sleeveless yellow vest against the backdrop of the Normandy Plaza Hotel (where Cunanan really did stay) is worthy of a mention.
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