Gianni Versace

1980 Spring/Summer

Richard Avedon photographer ~ Suga hair ~ Ariella Napolitano makeup

Alessandro Stepanoff worked with Gia briefly.  He remembers their time together on the Versace photo shoot.  In one shot, Gia has her left hand hooked into the waist of his trousers, her thumb dangerously close to an “X-rated” area.  When the photo appeared in Vogue Italy, the magazine considered the photo obscene and decided to censor it.  In the end, the shot was heavily darkened for Italian publication obscure the offending digit.                                                                         ~Born This Way

Stepanoff’s other memory of this shoot is, Avedon asked him to pose nude with a fully-clothed Gia.  In the photo, Gia stands regal as a Greek goddess above him as he reclines at her feet.  Gia tugs at his hair while her left heel and ankle are strategically placed in front of his man parts so they wouldn’t be seen in the photo.                                                            ~Born This Way

1982 Fall/Winter

Richard Avedon photographer