Fashion Overload

Donatella Blogs Correspondents Dinner

 

My favorite leathery prune, Donatella Versace, went to the White House Correspondents' Dinner and she's shared a bit about her experience for all of us to enjoy. She brought Jonathan Rhys Meyers (swoon), and sat at Graydon Carter's table (pass the prunes). This is her first ever blog posting, which is certainly semi-adorable. In the bit for the Huffington Post she attacks Blackberry usage and defends Obama's choice of neckwear. Check out the piece in it's entirety HERE.

Sleep Where Versace Was Murdered

Gianni Versace's 26,000 square foot estate on Ocean Drive was considered the epicenter of the cultural elite in South Beach. The Italian-born designer called Miami his home spending the majority of his time at  "Casa Casuarina" before he was shot and murdered by Andrew Cunanan   on the front steps.

The designer's iconic Medusa head logos are peppered throughout the residence in textiles, furnishings and mosaics. The centerpiece of the tour is a pool made of more than a million Italian mosaic tiles and 24-karat gold pieces. Its design was inspired by a Versace scarf and was created in Italy, broken down, shipped in numbered sections and reassembled here.

Since the designer's untimely death, the residence has had a variety of incarnations. After Versace, 1116 Ocean Drive became home to another mogul with A-list friends immediately following his death, then became an exclusive member's only club, then a private hotel of sorts. The general public is welcome to tour the estate at a cost of $65 per person if you aren't staying at the hotel. Guest suites go for $1,200 - $10,000 nightly. Prices are reduced during in summer, when blistering heat chases many tourists away. Visit the estate online HERE.