Versace, vitale and the vanishing act.

When Versace announced it would not be showing at Milan Fashion Week this September, the fashion world did what it does best: it whispered, loudly. Instead, an “intimate event” has been promised to mark Dario Vitale’s debut as creative director and if you listen closely, you’ll hear the distinct hum of dissonance beneath the surface.

Vitale, whose appointment came quietly during the still-settling transition of Versace’s new ownership under Prada Group, was always something of a mystery. Not unknown, but certainly not centre-stage. His design credentials are intact, sure. But when you’re stepping into the gilded shoes once worn by the larger-than-life Donatella — at a house that has always thrived on being seen, being loud, being Versace — anything less than spectacular can feel like a stumble.

Boring Not Com were the first to hint at behind-the-scenes friction, and now, the whispers are verging on confirmation. An “intimate event” is not just a format change — not in Milan, not at Versace. For a house so deeply intertwined with the theatre of fashion, this retreat into discretion reads less like strategy and more like scrambling.

What we’re witnessing might be the growing pains of a corporate couture clash. Prada Group is not just another parent company. It’s Prada. Precision, minimalism, intellectual rigor — Miuccia’s world is clean-lined and conceptually layered. Versace, on the other hand, is about sex, spectacle, and sun-soaked maximalism. Can Vitale — someone caught between these two forces — really serve both masters?

And the timing? Telling. Announcing the shift in show plans just as Milan gears up, leaving an open slot where spectacle is expected, does little to curb the speculation. Instead, it fans the flame: Is the new Versace vision at odds with Prada’s internal compass? Is Miuccia — famously exacting and intuitively brilliant — losing confidence before the curtains have even risen?

Or, more critically: will Dario be out before he ever truly steps in?

In fashion, absence rarely goes unnoticed. And in this case, it’s not what we’re seeing — but what we aren’t — that’s telling the story. No collection images, no creative teasers, no digital campaign. Just a hushed announcement and a lingering question mark.

If Vitale is still shaping his vision, let’s hope he’s given the room to let it speak — because right now, the silence is saying everything.