Britney Spears’ marriage reveals singer and Versace’s long-term union

The New York Times

The dress was long. White. Designed by Versace. And it was more than a wedding dress.

Well, it was actually literally a wedding dress — the dress Britney Spears wore to marry Sam Ashgari on June 9 in Los Angeles. But it was also a symbol of Spears’ new era of independence, and a relatively low-key choice, for a woman who lived through much of her pain — and her fame — in public. Although the marriage was the third for Spears, it is the first since the end of the guardianship that defined much of the singer’s adult life. So why not dress for the occasion as if for a fresh start?

The dress seemed more appropriate at the beginning than at the end of a fairy tale: the ivory white model, made of silk “cady”, left the bride’s shoulders bare and was decorated with pearls on the back, and complemented by a “choker”. ” in the same color and a 15-foot-long veil – a nod to Spears’ fashion trends in the 1990s.

And if that was the goal, why not look for a stylist who has known her since then? That’s where Donatella Versace comes in.

In March, Spears posted a photo on Instagram that showed her in the company of Versace, and claimed that the two had a lot in common (although the term used was a little less demure). Versace, for her part, told Variety that same month that Spears “was in a wonderful frame of mind”.

So the marriage may have enshrined the relationship between Spears and Ashgari, but her relationship with Versace has been around for decades. The two have always had much more in common than a fantastical pop aesthetic, a love of skin-tight clothing, and an attachment to platinum blonde hair and a light dose of spray tan.

Versace, after all, also went through public mishaps when she was forced to take the reins of the Versace brand after the murder of her brother, Gianni. She had drug problems and family trauma, and managed to keep the business going despite it all. (Does the story resemble anyone’s?) And she knows perfectly well how a celebrity who is constantly under the microscope lives.

Perhaps as a result, she and Spears have been mutually supportive since at least 2001, when the singer chose a green chiffon Versace minidress decorated with black beads for a concert with Michael Jackson at Madison Square Garden. In 2002, Spears wore a bold, multicolored Versace dress to the brand’s show at Fashion Week in Milan, and in 2008 she wore two different, glittering Versace models to the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony.

Versace even defined her outfits in line with Spears’ reputation, calling her spring 2003 looks “young and rock’n’roll” a “Britney thing.”

After the nuptials, there were new “Britney things” created by Versace, including several red and black mini-dresses that Spears wore to the reception and prom.

And the collection of models worn at the wedding seems to suggest there could be even more inspiration coming from Britney in September, when Versace’s new collection hits the runways. It’s not hard to imagine this could be the start of a whole new Spears-Versace era (not to mention a possible publicity deal for the singer), an era that would set the tone for the triumphant return of visceral female survival.

If so, it would represent a fashion marriage of the most enduring and authentic variety.