RuPaul: The Original Gianni Versace Girl
Known to be a man that was ahead of his time, both in his fashion and his morals, Gianni Versace always valued inclusivity. He even built many genuine friendships from it. He constantly championed people from all walks of life, most especially the ones that society would often refer to as “different.” And, probably the queen of them all in Gianni’s eyes was RuPaul.
RuPaul: The Original Gianni Versace Girl
Today’s It Girls may be pulling looks from the Versace archives, but Mama Ru was receiving it from the man himself — and for free!
Backstage at Versace, 1993
In October 1993, RuPaul was invited to the Versace S/S 1994 show in Milan — the collection where Elizabeth Hurley’s “THAT Dress” debuted. She, then, went backstage after the show where she took pictures next to all the supermodels that walked the runway.
The photo of her towering over all the girls — in a custom-made look made by Gianni for her — has been posted so many times on Twitter and Tumblr over the years, but you can’t argue with that because of the image was and still is iconic. This was just the first of many more moments Ru and the House of Versace will have together.
Pride Parade in California, 1994
During the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in California in June 1994, RuPaul performed in a metal mesh dress from Atelier Versace S/S 1994.
If the one from 1993 was custom-made, this one was couture — haute couture that is. She would later wear the dress again for the single cover artwork of her 2005 song “Workout.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 2, 2010
Fast forward to 2010 — 13 years after Gianni’s untimely death — RuPaul would wear a piece by her dear friend again for the promotional shoot of her show RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 2.
The beautiful black dress was from the S/S 1995 collection where supermodel Karen Mulder originally modeled the look on the runway.
RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars: Season 7, 2022
Years have passed, and with the announcement of the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars, Ru stunned in another haute couture piece from Atelier Versace S/S 1994 for the promo.
RuPaul really showed the new generation what it means to be the original Versace Girl, or the original Gianni Versace Girl to be exact.
Does Ru still have her Versace looks?
If you’re wondering if Ru still has most of the vintage Versace pieces she wore in the past, she actually tweeted in 2013 that she still has everything Gianni gave to her.
So let’s hope that she stuns us all with more looks from her personal archive in the future.
