January 6, 2017 
High fashion and horses have long been cushy bedmates, and for good reason. Equestrian sports attract the well-heeled, and the well-heeled are attracted to…well, heels.
Iconic luxury brands like Ralph Lauren, Hermes, Rolex, Longines and Gucci have deeply embedded themselves in the horse world by bringing equestrian inspired products into the moneyed mainstream. So it’s no surprise to see the venerable house of haute couture, Versace, jumping into the the mix with its Spring 2017 collection that is centered, literally, on the backs of horses.
“Sportswear is the future of fashion,” Donatella Versace said of the company’s new line. “To make it unique and luxurious is the challenge I took this season. This is a collection that is all about a woman’s freedom: freedom of movement, freedom of activity, freedom to fight for their ideas, freedom to be whomever you want to be.”
To really hammer the point home, Versace brought legendary fash-photog Bruce Weber and supermodels Edie Campbell and Anna Ewers to the remote Kentucky farm of Hollywood power couple Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer.
Bruce Weber/Versace
Laugh all you want at this look, which we assume is from the vaulting collection, but don’t knock riding bareback barefoot in yoga pants and an amazing technicolor dreamcoat while clutching a purse until you try it. On second thought, it’s probably safer to simply dream it.
Bruce Weber/Versace
Pay attention grooms. Bathing horses in hard winter is a dreadful task, but as the saying goes, dress for the job you want, not the one you have.
Bruce Weber/Versace
Here we have a man in a pair of no-nonsense leggings and what appears to be a cape, getting ready to tack up and hack out. The cape provides built in safety support in the event of a fall, allowing the rider to slowly float to the ground as if it was all on purpose.
Bruce Weber/Versace
Not to be outdone is this striking ensemble tailored to liberty trainers and/or equine practitioners for when it’s just too hot for standard farm clothes and you sort of want to look like a sexy queen of hearts. What it lacks in practicality is compensated by immense freedom of movement, which is hard to put a price tag on…ok actually it isn’t. There is a price tag on this stuff and it’s likely more than these horses.
“Creating the visual campaign for Donatella’s new collection has been exciting because it involves nature and horses and freedom,” said Bruce Weber. “Freedom of choice, freedom of expression and freedom of speech. I think it’s always interesting that fashion can carry messages in a subtle way and make people think about their own lives and how they can make it better.”
Freedom, folks. Freedom.
