From the theatrical to the whimsical, Gianni Versace's designs have something for everyone. On these pages, his sketches and finished works of haute couture, ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry, and opera and ballet costumes -- as well as artworks created by Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Bruce Weber. The pictures are accompanied by a variety of writing, including commentary by Hamish Bowles of American Vogue, a new short story by Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti, an excerpt from the memoirs of Lady Julia Trevelyan Oman, and quotations and features from fashion magazines around the world. Vanitas focuses on the master craftspeople and the history of the development of their creations based on the skilled handcrafting of each unique creation. With almost three hundred brilliant pictures, the book offers insight into the evolution of the Versace style since 1982.