Addison Rae Proves the New Versace Is Still Pop Star-Friendly

The history of Versace is intertwined with pop star fantasy: Madonna, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, and several more Top 40 goddesses have all had an intimate relationship with the house. Last week, creative director Dario Vitale opened a new chapter in the label’s history. While the on-the-runway styling may not have read as immediately pop star-forward, that spirit could still be found in the clothes.

Just look at Addison Rae. Days after its Milan premiere, the “Fame Is a Gun” singer had one of the fastest runway-to-real life placements in recent memory when she wore pieces from Vitale’s first Versace collection at the Nashville stop of her Addison tour.

To perform her songs “Money Is Everything” and “High Fashion” on Friday night, Rae slipped into a bejeweled bra and brief set from Versace’s spring collection. Rae’s bra featured a silver clasp detail at the center and sprawling metallic embroidery. Her briefs, just as glittery as her top, sat high on her waist. Working with the stylist Dara Allen, Rae gave her Versace look even more of a pop star touch. To accessorize, she wore one scrunched-up opera glove.

If you didn’t see Rae’s exact outfit on the runway, that’s because the pieces were actually pulled from three separate looks.

Her top was originally paired with candy-colored stripe trousers and a burgundy bowling bag. The underwear was shown with a layered t-shirt, heels, and an oversized leather bomber. The glove, meanwhile, was shown with red pants and a brown leather vest.

For his Versace debut, Vitale (the first non-Versace to ever helm the brand) looked to Gianni’s late-’80s designs for inspiration. But it wasn’t full of the obvious Versace codes—think safety-pin dresses, Medusa print head wraps—that fashionistas have come to expect from the label over the decades. Instead, Vitale channeled Versace’s signature sex appeal through leather trousers with un-zipped flys, muscle-grazing tanks, and straight-leg pants that clung to the crotch. It’s possible that Rae’s outfit may have originally been designed as one, but re-styled on the runway to make a point.

As a brand, Versace has long been associated with va-va-voom dressing among the celebrity set. So despite the wearability of Vitale’s Versace presentation, it was only right that the show’s first A-list placement was on an ascendant pop star in Rae.