I don’t remember the last time I was this excited about a fashion show, the kind of excitement that sends you straight to your own wardrobe to recreate looks. Most seasons, I watch fashion week secondhand: scrolling Vogue Runway slideshows, dodging ads and pop-ups. Which means I rarely get to experience firsthand the theatrics of a runway or the way clothes actually move.

However, with Versace Spring 2026—shown last Saturday night at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana art gallery in Milan—I didn’t need to be in the room (though I would have loved to be surrounded by the fashion and the art). Dario Vitale, formerly of Dsquared2, Bottega Veneta, and Miu Miu, and the first non-Versace to helm the brand, delivered a debut that felt alive on-screen.

The styling by Spencer Singer was impossible to ignore: belting, tucking, folding, layering. Clothes looked lived-in, not just staged. Denim anchored it all, an homage to Gianni Versace’s 1980s designs, and made the collection feel both nostalgic and new. A clever move for a designer without the Versace bloodline.

As someone with a soft spot for ‘80s silhouettes (sharp shoulders, unapologetic color, stripes), this show captivated me. My own closet seemed to nod back at me; I tore it apart, digging out vintage scores that fit the bill. And because I can’t resist a 6 a.m. weekend scroll through the vintage dot coms, I surfaced more than a few gems online, many of them from the 1980s Versace era.

Bold Belts:

A belt adds an instant jolt of style, even to an all-black look. And don’t forget: your local shoe repair shop is your best friend when it comes to fit. They can punch an extra hole so the belt works perfectly for you.

Ribcage Jeans:

From Jordache brights to Versace stripes: denim with flair (just not in the leg).

I couldn’t help but join in on the fun:

Bright Jackets and Blazers:

I have more than one bright-colored jacket in my closet, many of which were plucked right out of the ‘80s, passed down to me from my grandmother. On the runway, they leaned oversized, a style I especially love, paired with the high-waisted jeans and anchored by the belt.

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The brilliance of the collection is that it’s translatable. The elements that made it sing—those combinations, that styling—can slip easily into everyday style.

One of my favorite looks from the show was surprisingly simple: a high-neck white tank with belted bright green jeans (narrowly cuffed, a little messy) and patterned heels. There’s a kind of quiet sexiness to jeans that really accentuate the hips, and a bold high-waisted pair does exactly that. I added a blazer for contrast—color was such a defining part of the collection—and for seasonality. I loved the chain belt accents, so I rigged a chain necklace through my belt loops for the same effect.

A closer look at the chain accent, styled in an outfit suited for this everlasting summer and inspired by the knit vests from the collection.

As mentioned, the styling in this show was just plain fun, and I couldn’t help but try the double-layer tanks. I also loved how the collection paired sexy patterned jeans with casual outerwear like windbreakers and bombers. Forget color coordination, this is about mixing tones in a way that feels carefree, confident, and a little chaotic (in the best way).

Speaking of styling, if you zoom in on Look 53, the cardigan is fastened around the model’s waist in the coolest way. Possibly the only way I’ll be wearing mine from now on (the neck around the waist, top button closed, arms tied around) It’s a perfect trick for breaking up an oversized tee, shown here with both casual tonal jeans and bold, 80s-inspired leggings. The trick here is that the cardigan is bit oversized so that it fits comfortably.

I had to take my turn at the undone-belt situation (see: Look 4 from the show). As in the collection, a bold pair of jeans (yes, I bought these too) nicely offsets the chaos happening in my belt loops—and honestly, I like it. It’s an obvious nod to the show, and I can already picture this popping up around the city (New York City, to be specific) very soon. I toned down the intensity on my bottom half with a V-neck tee—seen throughout the runway—and a structured corduroy blazer.

Another notable belt styling trick appeared in Look 30: undone jeans, the fly left open. I don’t see myself doing that exactly, so instead I fastened my belt and rolled the waistband over. The key here is that the jeans must be super high-waisted.

And the lopsided tie! On the runway, they were accented with tie clips, so to emulate that, I added two brooches to my crochet version. I like how the masculinity of the shirt-and-tie combo is balanced by high-waisted leather pants (shown in several colors in the collection, which featured plenty of Western elements—leather pants, big-buckle belts) and bright boots for contrast.

I love how simple color-blocking, cinched with a belt, can balance a silhouette, particularly when the proportions go wide or oversized, as seen in Versace’s loose trousers and boxy blazers (like in Look 7 and Look 10).

Watching from afar does mean missing the shoes up close, but I tried my hand at recreating the look of the two-tone heels. I f***ing love these jeans.

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I do think it’s worth mentioning that the collection, particularly the earlier looks I was most drawn to, was criticized as “down-market” and even “tacky” by Cathy Horyn (The Cut). I’m including this critique because it underscores my point: much of this collection felt wearable and re-creatable. I wouldn’t personally use the word tacky to describe it, but I understand that the kind of everyday look I can replicate with a vintage pair of Jordache jeans isn’t necessarily the elevated allure of high fashion that many in the industry expect from Fashion Week. It was precisely the wearability of this show (“down-market,” if you must) that excited me.

I hope you catch that same thrill from a show this season—whether it’s Versace or something else entirely—and let it sneak into your own wardrobe and styling.

xo,

Eliz