The drama between the Versace family and Ryan Murphy’s series about the designer’s death may not be over.
At Monday’s Emmys, the ensemble cast of “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace” made major style statements — but conspicuously, none wore designs by the Italian fashion house at the heart of their show.
Penelope Cruz, who was nominated for her portrayal of Donatella Versace, made the best-dressed list in a feathered Chanel Haute Couture gown (she is a spokesperson for the brand). Despite the missed opportunity to honor Versace on the carpet, the actress, 44, insisted she’s on good terms with the designer.
“The first thing I did when Ryan called me [to cast me in the role] was I called Donatella and asked for her opinion,” Cruz told E! News. “And she told me that she was not involved in the show but if somebody was going to do it, she was happy that it was me. Without that call, I wouldn’t have been able to say yes.”
But none of the rest of the “Assassination” crew wore Versace, either: Ryan Murphy chose Tom Ford, Edgar Ramirez wore Brioni, Darren Criss and Ricky Martin both sported Armani and Judith Light stunned in yellow Christian Siriano.
“We wanted to curate a look which felt modern, clean and simple,” Light’s stylist Jack Yeaton told Page Six. “Simple being the standout term,” he continued. “And it’s not an adjective one typically associates with Versace.”
Siriano has been a big supporter of Light and the two have a close relationship, according to Yeaton. The star, who was nominated for her role as the widowed Marilyn Miglin on the series, accessorized her look with a special Elizabeth Taylor pin to highlight HIV research.
It was a controversial choice of accessory, considering that “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” depicts the Italian design icon as HIV-positive, despite the Versace family’s repeated denials that he ever suffered from the disease.
Even before the FX show premiered back in January, Versace’s camp slammed it as a “work of fiction” and refused to be involved in any way. Though the series took certain precautions as a courtesy to the late designer’s family — including the decision to omit Donatalla Versace’s daughter, Allegra, from the story — Murphy’s production proceeded, using Maureen Orth’s “Vulgar Favors” as its guide.
Perhaps as a result, the house of Versace declined to lend any clothing to the show’s costume designer, Lou Eyrich, for the shoot. As a workaround, Eyrich scoured vintage stores and dipped into the series’ production budget to purchase archival Versace items, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Eyrich even recreated Versace looks herself, including a hot pink gown worn by Cruz in the show. “We were inspired by a Versace design from 1996, but it’s not an exact replica because we didn’t want to rip them off,” Eyrich told the publication. “First of all, that’s not legal, but also we didn’t want to insult them.”
The production ultimately took home the Emmys for both Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, while Darren Criss won for his role as spree killer Andrew Cunanan.