Catwalk king
designed the costumes for “American Horror Story.”
Versace was also fond of repeating certain designs across mediums. For example, a Greek key pattern seen on the border of the iron gates to his villa appears in his clothing for men. “The more you look [at his creations], the more you see [those motifs],” says Eyrich.
Since his death at age 50 in 1997, many of Versace’s pieces have been scooped up and preserved by collectors. Eyrich had to scour the Internet to outfit not only Ramírez, but Penélope Cruz, who plays Donatella, and Ricky Martin, who plays Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s domestic partner of 15 years.
Many pricey items were out of reach for Eyrich and her team: At stores such as The Way We Wore in LA, the asking price for a Versace shirt from the era is a hefty $1,500, and an animal-and-baroque-print skirt suit goes for $4,500.
“We didn’t have the budget to get the pieces we really wanted,” Eyrich says. “We were competing with a lot of serious collectors.”
Of all the actors in the show, Ramírez was the one Eyrich was able to provide with the most authentic duds. “Almost all of Edgar’s costumes were Versace,” she says. “We sourced the jeans, the shoes and the shirts [from vintage shops] — which I’m sure [Ramírez] loved.”
One exception is a shockingpink bathrobe Versace wears to breakfast at his Miami villa on the morning he’s murdered by Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss). Eyrich had this made to Murphy’s specifications — she says the producer requested something with some “float” in it, so she used an especially lightweight silk. “When Edgar walked, it billowed,” Eyrich says.
Eyrich relied on her “genius tailor” Joanne Mills to remake a dress Versace designed for his sister — a sexy, black leather number accentuated with a series of men’s leather belts link- ing the bodice to a choker.
“We got every photo we could of [the original] dress,” Eyrich says of the frock that Donatella wore to a party at the New York Public Library celebrating Vogue’s centennial in 1993. “We were very careful to show our utmost respect; I didn’t want to make it look like a made-for-TV movie [design]. I want to pay tribute but not ever minimize. Joanne recreated all the hardware — the belt buckle — and made the full-leather skirt.”
Eyrich and her team also created a whopping 17 looks for a pivotal scene at Versace’s final haute couture fashion show in Paris in 1997, which plays out in flashback in the second episode, and airs Jan. 24. Donatella argues with her brother about the direction of their company and needles him about not being able to keep up with younger designers John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.
“You were the future, once,” she says snidely. Ever defiant, Versace tells his younger sister that great design comes “from the heart.” He reduces her to tears of shame with a runway show that unveils one inspired creation after another: A sleek, white evening gown slit up the side, a glittering red minidress and the pièce de résistance — a metallic mesh mini “wedding dress” covered with crosses, worn with a silver-headband veil. The daring piece is for the “Versace bride,” Gianni declares, not a “virginal” one.
“He had this rock ’n’ roll approach to couture,” Ramírez has said. “At this level, in high fashion, he mixed sexuality and glamour, something that, until he came along, were on two different tracks.”