Emily Ratajkowski and Donatella Versace have joined forces for the latest episode of Ratajkowski’s podcast, High Low with EmRata. During their chat, Versace shared insight into her childhood, the early days of the Milanese fashion house and working with her late brother Gianni. She also told the runway star about dressing the fashion icons of the early aughts, like Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Paris Hilton and more.
“I’ve seen the pictures of you, in a fabulous dress dancing with J.Lo,” Ratajkowski told the designer. “That is all I picture for the 2000s.”
Donatella went on to elaborate on the “celebrity moment” that “broke the internet,” when Lopez walked the red carpet at the 2000 Grammy Awards in the plunging jungle-print Versace dress that actually led to the creation of Google’s Image search. “We did the dress. And then you know, we’re thinking about JLo,” said Donatella. “She is all about femininity …it shows. She’s a great artist. She can sing, and she can act, she can do anything. She was confident anyway and that, you saw when she wore the dress, and the world went crazy.”
Donatella also referred to her “strong relationships” with Madonna, Paris Hilton (who walked the latest runway show for the fashion house), and Britney Spears, who recently wed Sam Asghari in a custom Versace bridal gown, with Donatella in attendance. “It was amazing to see Britney so liberated, so free. The wedding was very small, but very beautiful,” said the fashion maven. “I made the dress for her for the wedding, for the afterparty and everything, so I spent a few days with her.”
“I think the first designer she met in her life was me,” Donatella revealed. “She came to Milano; she was like 20 or 21 — not even 21. So, she came to Milano, and I was looking at her. She was at the height of her career, but she was so humble. You know, I asked her to do a few interviews for me. ‘Of course, yes give me the list,’ [said Britney.] She was sitting there doing everything, never said no to anything. She was amazing.”
After Donatella mentioned that Christina Aguilera was the face of Versace at one point, Ratajkowski responded as any millennial woman would: “These are all of my teen idols. When I was 12, 13, those were the women I looked up to and now, I realize they were all wearing Versace. Even Beyoncé.”
“I remember Beyoncé — she came with her sister. She was still in the group [Destiny’s Child], and at the same time, Britney came and were dancing,” recalled Donatella. “It was amazing.”
The pair mused over how trends from the 2000s have bounced back into the style sphere, and what an integral role Donatella played in molding it. “Now its funny to think about how the 2000s are back in fashion, but you were such a key part of that look, and that aesthetic, and now, you’ve updated it and modernized it, of course, but in some ways, there’s this really cool way you can pull from the archive and bring it in. It’s very special,” said Ratajkowski.
Taking the opportunity to announce some exciting news, the two shared that Ratajkowski will be the new face of the Spring/Summer Versace campaign. We can’t wait to see it.
