Versace Couture Spring 2012

Nothing could kick-start Couture Fashion Week quite like Atelier Versace's confident return to the ring after an eight-year hiatus. Donatella Versace presented the label's couture collection for the first time since 2004, marking its resurrection in signature brights and distinctly sexy silhouettes. All the elements we've come to rely on from a Versace collection were present — curve-hugging bodices, brilliant statement color, leg-revealing hemlines — and like any good couture collection, there, too, was the element of surprise. The standout, but limited, color palette verged between blinding brights, creamy grays, neutrals, and a splash of gold. We're treated to all-out sultry silhouettes, then checked with futuristic-feeling detail. Laser cuts and lace feel at once delicate and fierce, like the glamorous gold heels made tougher with buckled shin guards. The collection was sexy, but not without substance — just the way we like our leading ladies who will wear it.

• Trends: Neoprene brights, corsets, lace, peplum.
• Colors: Citrus hues — orange, green, yellow; nude, gray, gold.
• Key Look: The creamy gray lace-paneled gown with gold-collared halter neckline.
• Accessories: Heels and boots with shin guards buckled up over the calf.
• Who Would Wear It: January Jones, Jessica Alba, red carpet queens who crave drama and sexy cuts.