GIANNI VERSACE PHOTO-BIOGRAPHY NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES

First Complete Biography of the "Emperor" of Fashion Hints at a Possible Mafia Plot to Assassinate Him
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(Philadelphia, March 1998).....In a book to be released in the USA market about the life and death of Gianni Versace, one of the world's renowned fashion designers, the author claims that at least one private detective believes both Versace and his alleged assailant, Andrew Cunanan, were murdered by the mob.

To be released nationally on March 23, the book is called, Gianni Versace: Fashion's Last Emperor, and is written by Lowri Turner, former fashion editor of the London Evening Standard and contributing editor to Cosmopolitan, Woman's Journal, The Sunday Times, Daily Mail, and BBC TV's Looking Good. The book is distributed by Trans-Atlantic Publications Inc., Philadelphia.

Ms Turner cites a New York private detective, Frank Monte, who claims that Versace hired him to look into a murder of a friend. He believes that "Cunanan's presence in Miami was a convenient smoke-screen for a Mafia hit"...and that "Cunanan was killed before Versace and his body was stored in a freezer until the time was right for it to be found."

The author says that we may never know who actually killed Versace, but states that the "reports of close friendships with certain key Mafia figures dogged Versace during his lifetime. Add to this that his hometown was firmly in the grip of organized crime. The fact that the two bullets which killed him were delivered at point blank range to the back of his head and, if some onlookers are to be believed, a dead sparrow was placed next to the body merely polish the theory that he was the victim of execution by the Cosa Nostra."

The author quotes other sources who claim that while Versace liked to be seen with the mob, he resisted letting them get involved in his business.

Despite the tragic nature of Versace's death, the book celebrates his life. It is filled with more than 90 color photographs of the supermodels he created, his opulent homes inspired by the Roman Emperors, and his sister and brother-the three of whom formed the multi-million dollar fashion empire that shocked, bedazzled and greatly influenced contemporary taste and style.

When interviewed by the author in 1992, Versace told her that, "My dream was always to be a composer, but fashion came very easily." He was sick and tired of traveling around the world and said, "I want to take time off. I don't want to make money, more money. I want to better myself." The author acknowledges that Versace was in some degree "a prisoner of his own success...on a treadmill, producing two couture collections a year, four ready-to-wear lines, sports and accessories collections, not to mention the houseware line and the perfumes." When the interview ended, he told the author that he "wanted to be like Greta Garbo and say 'Basta!' [Enough!]."

The book traces Versace's beginnings in December 1946 in Reggio de Calabria, Italy, a somber town unlikely to produce fashion's "most extravagantly exotic" designer who as a youth could never have dreamed of Linda Evangelista in his lilac-spangled mini- skirt or Cindy Crawford in his plunge-front vermilion satin evening gown! He grew up with his brother Santo and sister Donatella in a fiery and competitive relationship. And he was greatly intrigued and fascinated by the girls of the local brothel, whom he once described as "beautiful, magical women."

He worked for his mother until the age of 25 and learned tailoring in her shop, but in 1972 left home for Milan and realized that the era of bland clothing was over. He began designing for several firms and in 1978 teamed up with his brother Santo (who handled the business end) to form his own company. In 1982 he created a totally new fabric-his now famous 'chain mail'-which was the Lycra of its time, slithering over the body like liquid gold. As the author states, "It was one of the sexiest fabrics ever to hit a catwalk." In the late 1980s, his sister Donatella joined the company. Her impact was enormous, and the two brothers and sister formed a triumvirate that created the style we all know today as Versace-"bold, exuberant, and walking the fine line between glamour and downright flashiness."

The author says, "In his last haute couture collection shown in Paris in July 1997, he began to move away from flash-trash. His style was similar to that of his early collections. Was he stung by accusations of vulgarity, or had he simply gone as far as he could go? We will never know. However, when we think of Versace, we don't think of conservative little suits in twelve shades of beige...instead we think big, bold and brashly printed shirts, heavily beaded eveningwear and gold-lots of it.

"He is a fashion icon precisely because we can all conjure up a distinct image of his clothes so easily," she continues.

The quintessential Versace look was forged after Donatella's arrival, principally in the 1991-93 period. "To watch a Versace catwalk in the early 1990s was to witness a parade of color and sparkle, the likes of which would have made a Las Vegas showgirl blush. Print piled upon print and then embroidery and beading were added on top. It was an assault on the senses," Ms Turner says.

The book discusses his development of the supermodel phenomenon, the show business and rock music stars that surrounded him, and his special friends, including Princess Diana, Liz Hurley, Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, Elton John, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Kim Basinger, Madonna, and so many others.

Also highlighted are his interior designs-his own four homes (palaces) and those of his friends and family. The Villa Fontanelle on the shore of Lake Como, the Pallazo Rizzoli in Milan, the Casa Casuarina in Florida, and his New York home on the Upper East Side are all explained by the author as representative of the various stages of Versace's life.

Finally, the book takes a touching look at Versace's funeral. The admirers and friends who gathered to pay their last respects to the much-loved designer included such luminaries as Sting, Elton John, and Princess Diana.

The book was first published in London in December 1997 by Essential, in association with Chameleon Books, a division of Andre Deutsch Ltd. Trans-Atlantic Publications, Philadelphia, holds North American rights to the book. It will be distributed nationally by Ingram Book Company, Borders Books, and Baker & Taylor. It is also available on internet sites, such as Amazon.com and Barnes&noble.com.

For additional information and photographs, readers can visit the Trans-Atlantic website at: www.transatlanticpub.com. The book is priced at $24.95 hardback. It's ISBN is: 0-233-99342-8.



NOTE TO EDITORS: A review copy of this book is available to the media upon request.