Some things never change. On Sept. 22, supermodel Claudia Schiffer returned to the runway as a tribute to the late Gianni Versace. The ’90s icon closed the Versace show at Milan Fashion Week for the first time since joining Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Helena Christensen for an homage back in 2018. She graced the catwalk in a shimmering green and silver checkered gown, joining models like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. “It’s basically molded onto my body. It fits me like a glove,” she told Vogue of her dress. Schiffer’s presence at the show was the ultimate full circle moment, serving as a powerful reference to Gianni Versace’s 1995 spring show, which she also closed.
Schiffer shone on the runway, but her rare appearance was the finale to what ended up being an entire collection inspired by Gianni’s original show. The concept — brought to life by the legendary Donatella Versace — paid homage to her brother’s original mod looks, with carefully tailored silhouettes, colorful free-flowing silks, and checkerboard patterns. Of course, that didn’t stop her from adding her own creative touches, including the sparkly embellishments on Jenner’s collar and the delicate beaded detailing across Schiffer’s re-imagined gown. Schiffer has long been touted as one of Gianni’s original muses. Donatella herself even commented that Schiffer will “always be an inspiration” in February 2022 after the model praised the Hadid sisters’s re-creation of her 1995 Versace ad with Sylvester Stallone. “Donatella is just a wonderful, warm-hearted, gentle, genuine, nice person who really does care,” Schiffer told Vogue. “It’s just more than just a fashion show and ad campaign. It’s much more than that.” Read on to see how one of the most memorable models in Versace history returned to the runway after all these years.