Milan set for star-studded Versace ballet

Updated 10.31 Fri Jul 13 2007

Keywords: Donatella Versace, Gianni Versace

Celebrities are set to flock to Milan opera house La Scala on Sunday to attend a performance to honour the late Gianni Versace.

The event, organised by the designer's sister Donatella, will be held exactly a decade after the designer was murdered in Miami.

"It was meant to be. I can already see Gianni shaking the crystal chandelier and directing the ballet" - Donatella Versace

It was pure chance that July 15 turned out to be the only available date for the renowned Milanese opera house, until 2010.

"I really didn't care about the date, September would have worked just fine, so I guess it's a sign,'' joked Donatella Versace. "It was meant to be. I can already see Gianni shaking the crystal chandelier and directing the ballet."

Around 1,400 guests are expected to attend including Karl Lagerfeld, Jessica Alba, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.

Donatella Versace and brother Santo will also host an après-opera dinner at Palazzo Reale for 500 of Gianni's friends and staff.

Sunday's spectacle will mix parts of 12 ballets Gianni Versace contributed to.

The second act features new choreography with 15 costumes designed by Donatella Versace that she described as "modern and clean," sheer, with cascades of macro Swarovski embroidery.

"Gianni's costumes are so extraordinarily beautiful….It was so hard to compete with him, so I went for something completely different," she said.

Versace began working for the Teatro della Scala in 1982 and designed costumes for a number of productions across his career.