Gold snake jeans, bondage dresses, silk jodhpurs: More than 100 outfits created by Gianni Versace are going on show in Berlin, some 20 years after the designer's death.
Organizers of the "Gianni Versace Retrospective" opening Tuesday at the German capital's Kronprinzenpalais put together the show with contributions from private collectors around the world.
Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Versace's sexy and daring clothes in the 1980s and 1990s made him a favorite among rockers, Hollywood stars and other celebrities. The wide-ranging exhibit covers both women's and menswear, and includes pieces such as a tailcoat ensemble made for Sting's wedding in 1992 and many others worn by everyone from Madonna and Prince to Naomi Campbell.
He was gunned down outside his Miami Beach, Florida, mansion on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, who killed himself a few days later.
Co-curator Karl von der Ahe said the new show stemmed from a chance meeting with a major Versace collector, which generated a desire to "show the breadth of the work."
Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
"Such an overview of his work is something special," he said.
The exhibition developed as it went along, fellow curator Saskia Lubnow said. Organizers started out with a "we'll take what we get" approach, but increasingly "thought about what Gianni was, how Gianni thought, what did he want to say" and went looking for specific pieces.
The exhibition is arranged by theme, rather than chronologically — starting, for example, with a room of creations in black and gold.
Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Versace had his first exhibition in Berlin in 1994 and, organizers say, had planned to come back to the city — not one of the top traditional fashion centers.
"You might say that Paris would be easier, or Milan, because people there have a greater affinity for this kind of thing and understand fashion more as part of their world," von der Ahe said. But "it is a city that can use something like this ... perhaps it will push another view of Berlin's development as a city of fashion."
The exhibition runs until April 13.
Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations to address his administration's concerns about another Donald Trump presidency.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also the country's finance minister, will chair the committee, which also will include other top officials including ministers of foreign affairs, public safety and industry.
“Following the election of President Donald Trump for a second term, the Cabinet Committee will focus on critical Canada-U.S. issues,” Trudeau's office said in a statement Thursday.
Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 75% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S.
During Trump's first time, his move to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and reports that he was considering a 25% tariff on the auto sector were considered an existential threat in Canada at the time.
Trudeau called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him and the two discussed the new free trade deal Trump reached during his first term with Canada and Mexico, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced NAFTA.
Ottawa will soon have to focus on a scheduled review of the agreement in 2026.
Although Trump once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” during his first term, ties between the two countries have remained among the closest in the world.
Freeland addressed reporters twice on Wednesday in an effort to reassure Canadians.
“I know a lot of Canadians are anxious. I want to say with utter sincerity and conviction to Canadians that Canada will be absolutely fine," Freeland said.
"We have a strong relationship with the United States. We have a strong relationship with President Trump and his team. Let’s remember that our trading relationship today is governed by the trade deal concluded by President Trump himself and his team," Freeland said.
During the recent election campaign, Trump has proposed tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods — and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages.
Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said Canada should expect new tariffs and pressure to increase its military budget.
According to NATO figures, Canada was estimated to be spending 1.33% of GDP on its military budget in 2023, below the 2% target that NATO countries have set for themselves. Trudeau has said Canada will meet the alliance’s target by 2032. Trump has urged NATO countries to boost their own defense spending to ease the burden on the U.S. to deter the alliance's enemies.
“I expect that the free trade deal will be slightly modified as it was during Trump’s first presidency and not dramatically," Wiseman said.
"Tariffs will hurt the Canadian economy economy but not cripple it. Canada has some cards to play in negotiations including countervailing tariffs, the concerns of American business leaders, and Canada’s storehouse of critical minerals.”
The Canadian government notes the U.S. and Canada are each other’s largest trade partners with nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services crossing the border each day in 2023.
The ties between the two countries are without parallel anywhere in the world.
There is close co-operation on defense, border security and law enforcement, and a vast overlap in culture, traditions and pastimes — with shared baseball, hockey, basketball and soccer leagues. About 400,000 people cross the world’s longest international border each day and about 800,000 Canadians live in the U.S.
Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, said Canadians should be worried about potential rash actions on tariffs and trade.
“How would you feel if old Uncle Donald was feeling whimsical one morning and decided to do … oh, whatever he’d just heard on Fox News?” Bothwell said.
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk prior to a NATO round table meeting at The Grove hotel and resort in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, Dec. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
