By Megan Riedlinger
11:03pm PDT, May 2, 2022
_
While serving as vice president and head designer of Versace over the last few decades, Donatella Versace has kept the brand at the forefront of the fashion world. The blonde icon (seen here in 1991 when she was about 36) has always recognized the importance of the relationship between fashion and celebrity, and by harnessing the support of superstars, she continues to maintain the Versace name's global fame. In honor of the dynamo Italian designer's 67th birthday on May 2, 2022, join Wonderwall.com as we take a look back at her life and career in pictures.
Keep reading for her greatest moments captured on camera…
RELATED: The most iconic dresses in cinema history
_
Donatella Versace joined a fashion-forward family when she was born on May 2, 1955, in Reggio, a town in Italy's Calabria region. Older brother Gianni Versace was an up-and-coming designer and their mother had a dressmaking business. She's seen here with Gianni in Paris in 1990.
RELATED: Celebrity family feuds
_
Donatella Versace picked her trademark look early on, and she credits brother Gianni Versace with dyeing her hair its signature platinum blonde shade when she was 11. She once told Harper's Bazaar, "I have never looked back." (She's seen here looking glam at a party in 1992.)
RELATED: Iconic celebrity haircuts and styles
_
In the early 1980s, Donatella Versace married former Versace model Paul Beck. The pair had two children, Allegra and Daniel, but split in 2000. The family is seen here in 1992.
_
Gianni Versace started his company in Milan in 1978 and sister Donatella Versace and brother Santo Versace helped out with the business. Donatella is seen here with Gianni at a Rainforest Foundation Benefit in 1994.
_
Donatella Versace started designing for the company's Versus line in the 1980s — brother Gianni Versace created the line as a gift to her. Donatella's friendships with celebrities including Madonna and Elizabeth Hurley would later help the brand gain notoriety. (Donatella is seen here with Liz during London Fashion Week in 2005.)
_
Gianni Versace was tragically murdered in Florida in July 1997. Donatella Versace then became the creative director of the Versace group. "When my brother was murdered, I had the eyes of the whole world on me and 99% of them thought I wasn't going to make it. And maybe I thought the same, at first," she told The Guardian in 2017. "My brother was the king, and my whole world had crashed around me." She's seen here with brother Santo Versace at Gianni's memorial service in Milan in 1997.
_
It was a year filled with tragedy for Donatella Versace: In August 1997 — less than two months after the murder of her brother, fashion designer Gianni Versace — family friend Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris. Donatella is seen here speaking with fellow designer Karl Lagerfeld as brother Santo Versace looked on during the Princess of Wales' funeral in September 1997.
_
A solemn Donatella Versace walked the runway at the conclusion of Versace's haute couture presentation in Paris in July 1998. It was her first show as the head of the fashion house following the death of her brother, Gianni Versace, the previous year.
_
During the 1999 Met Gala, which paid tribute to the "Rock Style" exhibition, Donatella Versace donned a tropical-print gown with a plunging neckline that would become extremely famous the following year…
_
In February 2000, Jennifer Lopez wore an instantly iconic green Versace dress with a plunging neckline to the Grammy Awards. Donatella Versace created the look, which elevated her family's fashion house and marked a major turning point in her life and career following brother Gianni Versace's tragic death a few years earlier. (Former Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has said that Google Images was created as a response to the wave of online searches for the look.)
_
In October 2002, Donatella Versace and brother Santo Versace previewed the "Versace at the V&A" exhibition — which honored their late brother Gianni Versace's life and career and featured several of his most iconic creations — at the V&A museum in London.
_
Icons unite! In October 2002, Donatella Versace was joined by daughter Allegra Versace and longtime pal (and Versace muse) Madonna, plus the pop star's daughter, a pint-sized Lourdes Leon, and former first daughter Chelsea Clinton at a party celebrating the "Versace at the V&A" exhibition — which honored Donatella's late brother Gianni Versace's life and career and featured several of his most iconic creations — at the V&A museum in London.
_
Donatella Versace has a sense of humor! She's seen here posing with comedy star Maya Rudolph, who's dressed as the designer, during the 2002 VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Maya for years impersonated Donatella in sketches on "Saturday Night Live."
_
In 2004, Donatella Versace sought treatment for cocaine addiction, which she battled after her brother's death. "I couldn't stand the pain," she told Vogue in 2005. "I had to hide my feelings. What better way to hide your feelings than with drugs?" She also shared that it was family friend Elton John's intervention that got her into rehab. She's seen here with the music star at his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in March 2006.
_
In July 2007, Donatella Versace reunited with her ex-husband, Paul Beck, and their two kids — daughter Allegra Versace and son Daniel Versace, who's become extremely private over the years — at the opening night of "Thank You Gianni, With Love" at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. The ballet honored the life and career of Donatella's late brother, Gianni Versace, and marked the 10th anniversary of his death.
_
Donatella Versace designed a Versace collection for H&M in late 2011 with the intention of helping the luxury brand reach a wider audience. She assured fans the collaboration would be "quintessential Versace," and it worked: People lined up overnight to get their hands on the pieces, which ranged from $19.95 costume jewelry to a $299 leather jacket. Donatella even made an appearance at a London H&M store to meet fans. She's seen here at the launch in November 2011.
_
Donatella Versace posed with Versace muse Lady Gaga and a furry friend — makeup artist Frederic Aspiras's dog Fozzi, who frequently traveled with Gaga early in her career — on a balcony at Palazzo Versace in Milan in October 2012. The following year, Gaga released an ode to the fashion icon, "Donatella," on her "Artpop" album.
_
Rapper Nicki Minaj interviewed Donatella Versace for Interview magazine in December 2011 and got the designer to talk about her close friendship with Prince and the supermodels of the '90s. She also shared with Nicki one of her beliefs about fashion: "To be comfortable — that can't be in the vocabulary of fashion. If you want to be comfortable, stay home in your pajamas." Donatella and Nicki are seen here at the Versus Versace fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City in September 2014.
_
Did you do a double-take? In 2013, Gina Gershon portrayed Donatella Versace in the Lifetime made-for-TV movie "House of Versace." In 2018, Penelope Cruz starred as Donatella on the series "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story," earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her efforts.
_
Donatella Versace brought daughter Allegra Versace as her date to the 2014 Met Gala. "I don't tell many people my last name," Allegra told Harper's Bazaar in 2007, adding that she goes by "[my father's last name] Beck more than Versace" in her personal life. The socialite also stays away from her designer mom's famous friends. "It's not like I want my mom's friends to take care of me!" she said.
_
Versace dominated the 2015 Hollywood awards season, outfitting more stars — including Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Aniston — than any other fashion house. In March 2015, Donatella Versace told V Magazine that she sees Jennifer Lopez as an ideal Versace woman. "Versace is about strength, individuality and power. It's also about loving life, making the best of every moment, and being true to who you are. This is how I define Versace, and it's also how I define Jennifer." J.Lo and Donatella are seen here at the Versace Haute Couture show during Paris Fashion Week in July 2014.
_
Talk about an iconic (and nostalgia-inducing) fashion moment! During Milan Fashion Week in September 2017, Donatella Versace had a lineup of iconic '90s supermodels wear her creations: Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen all hit the runway with the designer.
_
At the 2017 British Fashion Awards, Donatella Versace won big! That evening, the designer to the stars took home the fashion icon award. "I am truly honoured to be collecting the Fashion Icon Award at The Fashion Awards in 2017," she said in a statement. "For 40 years, my brother and I have done what we love and that is a legacy I am honored to continue and uphold. We have celebrated empowerment, joy and of course glamour. We have championed a community of people who share our values and together with them have created truly iconic images in the world of fashion. I am truly humbled by how Versace has been embraced across the decades, across the world and across the generations."
_
Donatella Versace posed with Katy Perry, who donned a Versace creation for the occasion — and topped many best-dressed lists as a result — at the 2018 Met Gala, which paid tribute to the "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination" exhibition. Donatella co-chaired the gala that year while her fashion house served as a sponsor. (Many of the evening's best looks came courtesy of Versace — see what we mean here.)
_
She took home another notable prize a year later. Donatella Versace won the international award at the CFDA Fashion Awards in June 2018. "It means so much," Donatella told the CFDA. "So many feelings are going through my head it's almost impossible to describe it. When they told me, I did a double take! I was at home having dinner with some friends when I got the call… I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I felt humbled and honored at the same time. Receiving this award crowns a very special moment for me and for Versace and I couldn't be happier. We have worked so hard to get to this point and I am so proud of what we are achieving."
_
In November 2018, Donatella Versace became the first woman to be named designer of the year at the 20th GQ Men of the Year Awards.
_
Donatella Versace made headlines when she recruited friend and muse Jennifer Lopez to close out the Versace show during Milan Fashion Week in September 2019. J.Lo donned a plunging green tropical-print gown designed by Donatella that was reminiscent of her iconic 2000 Grammys dress. The two women conspired to pull off the surprise stunt after reuniting at the Met Gala earlier that year: "We were sitting together at the table. I took a look at her, and she looked so gorgeous and she was so sweet, and she hasn't changed a bit since the first time," Donatella told Vogue's Anna Wintour. "And I said, 'Would you do it again, Jennifer?' And she said, 'Why not, let me check my schedule.' That happened in like two seconds. … This is what I like about her. She's very instinctive. She doesn't have to ask too many managers what to do."
_
In September 2021 — as the delta wave of the coronavirus pandemic began to abate — Versace made a triumphant return to in-person events with a star-studded showing during Milan Fashion Week, which went digital the previous year. Donatella Versace closed out the Versace Spring/Summer 2022 presentation with muse Dua Lipa.
_
Donatella Versace supported longtime friend Elton John by attending the 2022 iteration of his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party that March. The music superstar was unable to attend the West Hollywood bash due to a scheduling conflict with his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, but it was still a family affair: Donatella reunited with Elton's husband, David Furnish, and their two sons — Zachary and Elijah — plus the boys' godmother, mutual pal Lady Gaga.
_
During the 2022 Grammys, Donatella Versace teamed up with Versace muse Dua Lipa and the chart-topper's "Sweetest Pie" collaborator Megan Thee Stallion to spoof an iconic moment from the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. (More than two decades ago, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston made light of their rumored rivalry by wearing the same brown dress to present an award together during the MTV award show.) After Dua and Megan took the stage in the same Versace dress to present the Grammy for best new artist, Donatella joined them on stage, removed Dua's skirt completely and took away half of Megan's skirt to reveal two distinctly different looks. "Now we both look like winners," exclaimed Megan as the overall unnecessary bit — which was cute but certainly not iconic — came to an end.
