Versace SS08 Trunk Show and Store Launch

A friend once asked me, "what does it feels like to be among the stars and the creme de la creme at high-end brand events?"

To be honest with him, I never feel starstruck whenever I'm at these events unless if Victoria Beckham, Daphne Guinness, or Camilla Al-Fayed attended the event.

Recently, Versace and Stylo 08 co-hosted its flagship store inauguration at The Pavilion KL. The two-story store boasts a spacious retail space that spans over 3000 square feet, making it the biggest in the region to date.

Personifying the spirit of Versace with clean shapes, contemporary feel, and sleek white walls, the store carries a complete array of clothes for him and her, accessories, shoes, as well as the Versace Home line.

Versace banners in black and white adorned the storefront while the floor and the photo walls sported the color black, which has always been closely associated with the brand.

Guests and media members mingled among each other and lavished on delicious finger food and flowing drinks.

Incepting the new store were royal couple Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Naquiyuddin Tunku Laksamana Negeri Sembilan and consort, Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Nurul Hayati. Also present at the event was His Excellency Alessandro Busacca, the ambassador of Italy.

As Versace is synonymous with beauty and sexiness, guests who turned up at the event were impeccably dressed with celebrities such as former Miss Malaysia Ariana Teoh, Miss Malaysia/World 2007 Deborah Henry, model/actress Kavitha Sidhu, actress Ida Nerina, and top notch socialite Datin Ezureen were all alluringly dressed to kill in Versace's spring/summer and cruise 08 collection.

Post officiating ceremony, guests were ushered to the Stylo 08 fashion cube where the trunk show took place. At a glance, the feel absolutely mimicked the original runway show staged in Milan last September.

I bet everyone would agree with me that for a while, they felt as if they were transported to where the real show was staged. Taking the front row were celebrities, royal dignitaries, and high-echelon socialites while I took the third grid behind them with fellow fashion writers from The Edge's Opinion but can still be considered as on the front row.

Breathtaking is the word and the guests were so in love with the collection of airy fabrics, sexy and effortless silhouettes, with lots of Grecian Goddess influences thrown in.

Solid colors of orange, mint, purple, and blue with a dash of psychedelic prints ruled the spring/summer 08 runway show. Apart from the clothes, the slouchy Pillow bag in orange caught the fashionistas' attention as well.

For menswear, Versace no longer projects men's sexuality on its clothes. Instead, Versace men are becoming smarter and brainier in terms of fashion sense, thus the reason why Patrick Dempsey was hired as its new face for this season's campaign.

The tailored pieces are impeccable with the use of serious colors of dark and navy blue, while deep gray self-belted trench looks so fantastic and perfect for a stroll at the Park Avenue on a fine spring day.

The show ended with all models sashaying the pieces on the runway for the last time and guests were again, treated to another round of food and free-flowing drinks throughout the night.

A big thanks to Versace Malaysia and RAPR Mileage for staging such a memorable fashion event as well as for the beautiful door gift - a hand cut glass coasters with the frosted embossed image of the renowned Medusa.

*Photos by me.

Versace Flagship Store - Second and Third Floor, Pavilion Couture, Pavilion KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.