Donatella Versace celebrated her 71st birthday in grand style on Saturday evening, attending the star-studded pre-Met Gala party hosted by Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos in New York City. The iconic fashion designer appeared remarkably youthful, wearing a figure-hugging little black dress adorned with colourful embellishments that resembled fireworks.
Striking Ensemble
The Italian fashion mogul drew attention to her long legs with a pair of over-the-knee leather boots featuring towering platform heels. She completed her look with chandelier earrings, a designer handbag, and flawless makeup that accentuated her age-defying visage.
Cosmetic Surgery Speculation
Donatella has long been the subject of speculation regarding her changing appearance, though she has only publicly admitted to using Botox. In recent years, her complexion has appeared noticeably fresher, with a thinner top lip and less puffy cheeks. In December 2024, her 'reversed' cosmetic surgery look earned widespread praise when she attended the launch of the The Devil Wears Prada musical with a transformed appearance.
Fans were stunned by her youthful look, calling it 'the biggest upgrade in history' and drawing comparisons to Lindsay Lohan's recent beauty transformation. Social media users commented: 'People, someone needs to find out who this doctor in Hollywood is who is performing these miracles'; 'This is shocking not gonna lie'; 'The plastic surgeon who's doing these faces is probably one of the best out there…TOP TIER WORK!! He's in NY & not even trying to be known'; 'If you have the money you can buy youth'; 'I'm sure it's the same doctor as Lindsay, Demi and Brad'; 'From Lindsay Lohan to Donatella Versace, 2024 will officially be remembered as the year of faces that inexplicably transformed'.
Cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2
Her glamorous outing comes after Donatella made a glitzy cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2, released in cinemas this week. The fashion icon had been name-dropped several times in the original 2007 film and was pictured filming scenes in Milan last October alongside leading lady Anne Hathaway, who reprised her role as Andy Sachs.
Met Gala Controversy
The 2026 Met Gala, set for Monday night, has been shrouded in controversy due to Sanchez and Bezos's involvement as honorary co-chairs. The billionaire couple are making their debut as honorary co-chairs and lead donors for fashion's biggest night, but their participation has sparked backlash. Posters around Manhattan read: 'Boycott The Bezos Met Gala.'
A fashion industry insider told the Daily Mail: 'It's, quite frankly, very hurtful and very disturbing for [the Bezoses] to be the face of this year's Met Gala, something that is really meaningful to a lot of people and to such a highly regarded and highly respected institution. It feels like a real slap in the face to a lot of people.'
The Daily Mail has learned that at least one A-list celebrity has pulled out of Met Gala programming as a result. Meryl Streep was rumoured to have been one of the co-chairs this year but allegedly declined due to the Bezoses' bankrolling and presiding over the party as guests of honour.
However, former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour defended the couple's involvement. 'I think Lauren is going to be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event,' she told CNN last November. '[I'm] very grateful for her incredible generosity, and she's a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we're thrilled she's part of the night.'
Alongside Anna, Bezos, and Sanchez, this year's co-chairs include Beyonce, Venus Williams, and Nicole Kidman. The dress code is 'Fashion Is Art,' serving as a baseline for the gala's overall theme of 'Costume Art.' The New York City museum will pair historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute for the exhibition, loosely divided into three categories: the classical and nude; the anatomical; and the underrepresented, such as the pregnant and the aging body.
