Versace Gives Us a Nostalgia-Fueled Carrie-Meets-Samantha Mashup For Fall

Decidedly sexy with an early '00s twist, Donatella Versace's Fall 2019 collection will give you Sex and the City flashbacks. Nostalgia is an obvious part of the new lineup, most notably in Donatella's favorite portraits from Richard Avedon's archives, printed on t-shirts, but also in the bright color clashes, heavy gold embellishments, and slinky dresses that will take you back to '90s and early aughts-era fashion. Those slip dresses with draped necklines are the kind a Carrie Bradshaw or a Samantha Jones might slip into on a date night or night out with the girls. Then there are the pieces that you imagine Samantha might just rip from the runway — dresses with bondage-style corsets and power suiting. Though suits are pared down with sneakers on the runway, a pair of stilettos would do the trick, too.

For the Carries, look to the satin skirts, layered with blazers and jackets. There's a touch of animal print, thigh-high tights, and body-con minis in electric hues that feel distinctly Versace, though moodier plaids, textured jackets, and creative layers — like a corset over a button-down — have a quirkier effect, more cerebral styling than overtly provocative.

Still, it's a Versace runway. There is sultry and sexy steeped in the DNA — that, and the allure of the supermodel. In 2019, that means a cast that includes Candice, Gigi, Bella, Kendall, and Kaia, but it was Stephanie Seymour who closed the whole thing out with a look that said "let me show you how it's done, girls."