Giorgio Armani gave an ill-advised interview to a UK paper a few days ago, and he ended up offending a lot of people. The most offensive thing – to me, at least – was when Armani pontificated about how gay men “do not need to dress homosexual.” He also chatted about breast implants (he’s against them), and the ideal male body (not too ripped or muscly). As it turns out, Armani also shared an anecdote about the late, great Gianni Versace. Gianni was murdered in Miami back in 1997, just six weeks before Princess Diana died in Paris. Gianni and Giorgio were contemporaries and friends, but their vision for fashion was very different. So, Armani shared a story about Gianni in the interview and now Donatella Versace is PISSED.
Donatella Versace blasted Giorgio Armani for comments about her late brother Gianni Versace.
Armani, 80, told the UK’s Sunday Times Magazine that Gianni once compared his clientele to Armani’s: “He was looking at the models, and he said to me, ‘I dress sluts. You dress church ladies.’”
But Donatella has fired back: “I find it extremely rude and tasteless that Mr. Armani has once again put words into my brother’s mouth, especially because he is sadly no longer with us to reply . . . This is the second time he claims this was said. The first was immediately after his death, and he apologized to me. When my brother spoke about fashion, the only word that ever came from his mouth was glamour. What should be said about my brother is: May Gianni Versace rest in peace.”
An Armani rep didn’t get back to us.
It’s interesting that Donatella was so detailed with her statement. My first thought was… it sounds sort of like an off-hand joke made between friends? If Gianni ever said that, he likely never meant for Armani to repeat it. And you have to remember, Gianni’s designs back in the ‘90s were very va-va-voom. Like, fancy hooker-wear. That doesn’t mean that Gianni thought his clients were “sluts,” just that he thought women should dress sexier and have fun. Anyway, if Donatella doesn’t want that quote out there, being attributed to her brother, I can understand her point of view. It does seem like Armani was off his rocker during that whole interview.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Holy cr*p!
When I first saw the header picture I thought it was Jaqen H’ghar in a new disguise.
Bwahaha. They both look like death eater rejects though, don’t they!?
Team Donatella.
Also, she looks slightly less scary in that top photo. She must be doing something differently?
Yes. I he said it, I think he was joking, and Armani shouldn’t have repeated it.
You know he totally said it.
Ha! Probably. And it was funny, but I doubt he meant for it to be publicized, you know?
Lol, just showed it to my little brother and he was horrified.
these two are both terrifying.
If I rounded a corner and either one of them was standing there, I might be a little spooked 😉
This is so cute!
She really looks like a Death Eater. That’s all I’ve got.
Girl, I’m glad you said it and not me, she just honestly looks so different from what she looked like when she first came into that spotlight. I was speechless at that first photo. Like what makes a person do this to their face?
Armani is making all kinds of friends this week isn’t he?
Does he need a drink to wash his foot out of his mouth? What a friendly guy
The battle of the warmed over corpses. And the irony of them being in the fashion/beauty industry.
They both look like warmed over corpses to me.
OMG…I JUST THREW MY COFFEE IN MY EYES WHEN THAT PICTURE POPPED UP….That picture of Donatella needs a “Warning” sign before it is shown….I think Gianni just meant, that, he and Armani were at opposite ends of the fashion spectrum. I wouldn’t consider “you dress church ladies” as much of a fashion complement. However, Armani already knew this had upset Donatella before with this story, and he shouldn’t have repeated it…
A warning indeed! When I look at Donatella, the first word that comes to my mind is not glamour. * faints from fright*
warmed over corpses indeed
Shivers!!
Armani is 80 years old and comes from a completely different era as far as ‘gay’ is concerned. Donatella is one to talk…she looks like a muppet and not in a good way.
When did the Muppets incorporate ghouls into the show?
LMAO
Armani can say what he wants and Donatella is free to disagree. So much political correctness and people being afraid to give their true opinions make for extremely boring interviews. At least Armani hasn’t fallen victim to that very American habit of being excruciatingly politically correct and trying not to offend anyone.
Being politically INcorrect and offending people is a good thing?
That’s how you think people should communicate? Really? Not with kindness, manners, class or respect?
I feel bad for Donatella.
Why?
I think she lives in a world where beauty is so important and she has serious botched plastic surgery issues. That must be hard.
I cannot even take anything the Tales From The Crypt crypt keeper guy’s wife says seriously. Armani is pretty scary, too. Come to think of it, why are designers so incredibly repulsive looking? Armani, Donatella, the Westward woman with the orange teeth who dresses like a hippy homeless lady, that Lagerfield guy who dresses like Dracula….. When you think about it, its strange that people who are so repulsive and scary are able to make a successful living selling clothes.
don’t forget Westwood
She mistakenly said “Westward” but that’s whi she is referring to. I will throw Betsey JOhnson in the mix as well… But that’s what makes them so great. They are extremists.
She looks like she’s lost a lot of weight in a short period. That top photo is tiny. And that’s not her normal–she’s not a naturally thin type. Her face looks like she’s eased up somewhat?
And I can believe GV said it to joke. And is slut that much more insulting than church ladies in that context? The assumption there is frumpy, frigid and dowdy. So I definitely think it was an off the cuff remark between friendly rivals with definitely different aesthetics. But DV is very protective of GV and his legacy.
Church lady isn’t a compliment either which shows that it was a silly joke between friends! I love that he repeated it!
Gianni’s brand of ‘glamour’ was ‘slut’ if you define slut as wearing few clothes with hair and make up by Joan Collins. see Elizabeth Hurley’s safety pin dress.
Granted in this show-everything-day of Kim K, Hurley’s dress seems positively austere, but for the early/mid 90s, Gianni’s less clothing is more asthetic was the way to go. The man was a Kim K pioneer.
Donatella’s vision for the brand hasn’t been as slutty. She favours body conscious asthetic, but all covered up. Designers like Julien MacDonald and Roberto Cavalli have continued where Gianni left off.
I mean come on. BFD. Armani was more insulting to himself when he said he dressed church ladies. How boring is that? I would much rather design for sluts. Get over yourself Donnatella and go eat a double cheeseburger.
Armani is boring and unimaginative.
Versace is often very tacky but at least it’s fun and gay and fabulous.
Maybe Donatella is growing on me or something but she doesn’t look half bad in those pics. For her, I mean.
fashion people bitchery is the best kind of bitchery
I doubt Donatella is really all that upset about this, beyond protecting the Versace brand and clients from being painted as “sluts.” That Versace runs, and always has, more towards the va-va-voom, is a surprise to no one, and that’s just the way the Versaces like it. And plenty of others! I’d bet my lunch money that Gianni wouldn’t give a crap about this, and that Gianni, Giorgio and Donatella have all said much worse (they’re fashion people, I mean, come on, this is light bitchery for them!) and it would probably all be fun as hell to hear.
I think Versace probably did say that, as a joke. And Armani was repeating it as a joke (“church ladies” isn’t a compliment). And I kind of agree – Versace could be quite trashy, and Armani quite boring. There is a market for both. I don’t see why this comment is a big deal. I think Donatella just likes to get her name in the news.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Versace had said that to Armani; it’s a blunt but fair expression of the differences between their looks. What’s really surprising here is the grace and power of Donatella’s statement. Every time I’m tempted to write her off as a fashion victim and starfucker she comes out with something awesome like this.
Yes, I like Donatella. She’s interesting and lively. I wish people would stop bashing her for the damage done to her face. It happens, get over it, I’d get used to it very quickly if she were my neighbor or family member. What is she supposed to do, hide under the bed 24/7 so people won’t have to look at her? Honestly. She has the right idea, just go out and live.