Donatella Versace's New Collection Was Inspired by International Women's Day

The thesis of Versace’s Spring 2016 line, shown in Milan this week, was explicit before the lights even turned on. “This song is dedicated to women everywhere, regardless of color, religion, sexuality or what sex they were born with,” intoned a voice over the soundsystem. “Make it happen.”

On the soundtrack was “Transition,” a multilingual cover of the original Underground Resistance techno track made by six woman electronic producers—Violet, A.M.O.R., my fave Nightwave, LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang, Mamacita, and Coco Solid—and Donatella Versace told Vogue that after she heard it, she was inspired to create this collection:

“It was made for International Women’s Day,” said Donatella Versace, backstage. “And when I heard it, I was so sure of myself. I wanted to challenge myself, to do something strong.”

She backed it up by showing an battalion of power suits: oversized army green jackets offset an acid green splash of leopard, which served as a version of camouflage. The cuts were forgiving but also imbued its wearers with a sense of confidence, concurrent with the message in the song: “There will be people who will say, ‘You can’t,’ but you will. There will be people who will say ‘You don’t mix this with that,’ and you will say watch me,” it goes, an ode to strength and fearlessness. The models stomped on down the runway, serious and defiant.