Dario Vitale’s first collection as Versace creative director placed menswear firmly within the house’s archive, while pushing it toward a more sensual and contradictory territory. Shown inside Milan’s Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the debut framed clothing as attitude and gesture, situating men within Versace’s narrative of provocation and grandeur.
SPRING SUMMER 2026
Menswear alternated between rigor and ease. Tailoring carried Mediterranean precision but was styled to feel lived-in, layered with knitwear, shirting, and plain white tees as if caught mid-action. Jackets and trousers suggested discipline in construction yet loosened their grip in silhouette, allowing drape and structure to move with the body.
Leather became a central proposition. Patched blousons delivered a streetwise sensibility, their texture stirring a carnal tactility that defined the collection. Etched finishes and distressed surfaces underscored the tension between refinement and rawness, making each piece a statement of both craft and rebellion.
Denim reinforced this push-pull dynamic. Striped jeans and low-waisted cuts radiated casual irreverence, styled with fluid shirts and generous jackets. Miami brights and Mediterranean blues charged the denim with color, infusing energy into silhouettes designed to feel both broken-in and sharply attuned to the body.
Accessories and detailing underlined Versace’s codes while leaning into masculinity’s contradictions. Trompe l’œil gold chains, metallic accents, and intricate surface treatments brought decadence into dialogue with everyday garments. The clothes carried the impression of being lived in, yet heightened by an unapologetic sensuality.
With his debut, Vitale positioned Versace menswear as a stage for freedom, audacity, and contradiction. Spring Summer 2026 embraced both classicism and rebellion, grounding men’s looks in tailoring and craft while allowing them to unravel into desire, impulse, and contemporary reality.
