Allegra Versace Talks Anorexia, Making A Name For Herself In Fashion

Allegra Versace, daughter of Donatella and niece of the late Gianni, recently sat down with Italy's La Repubblica to discuss what she's been up to these days. The 25-year-old, who inherited 50 percent of the Versace fashion empire when she turned 18, has been dabbling in the design world, spending more and more time in the studio. She's joined the Board of Directors of Versace and is becoming more involved in the company, at the request of her mother.

And what about making a name for herself in fashion, when she already has the last name Versace? Allegra told Natalia Aspesi:

Definitely, I still prefer the anonymity. I've spent some time working with a non-Italian designer, I've been helping him organize fashion shows, the advertising, also helping with the creative part. But the great part about this work is that I am no one! They pay me, also, of course, for now not enough to live without worries, but I think you can get used to everything, if you feel free, if you are yourself and not what others want you to be, if you don't see a photographer around every corner, if you do not bury yourself in cruel gossip that does so much harm.

Speaking of, Allegra was constantly the topic of cruel gossip, growing up for some time in the U.S. where she was studying, but also treating her much-talked-about anorexia. She said:

"I call this my period of absence, I was lost in other thoughts and couldn't confront reality, with my eyes shielded from everything. Above all, I wanted one thing -- to be no one, to not be recognized, not be hunted down. I studied theater, and it pleased me greatly to play parts in little independent films that perhaps no one went to see. For example, I really loved 'Little Miss Sunshine.' Still, anywhere I went, I was Versace. I couldn't escape, and it did me harm. I hated Los Angeles. However I did have beautiful moments. For example, when I was in New York, Rupert Everett played in Noel Coward's 'Blithe Spirit,' and I, behind the scenes, acted invisibly as a dresser."

Read the rest, in Italian, at Repubblica.it.

(Via WWD.com, all translations by us)

Comments

[morris111]

04:03 AM on 06/10/2011

I think I need a double dose of eye bleach.

[Max Shaw]

04:02 PM on 06/09/2011

They both look absolutely miserable..

[TaraVictor]

03:43 PM on 06/09/2011

Allegra was admitted to a U.S. eating disorder hospital unit in January 1998. Her uncle had been murdered just six months prior. Allegra was only 11 years old and certainly reacting to the loss. So for those of you who may have not known, she did keep herself out of the limelight until her family's official announcement of her struggles in 2007. Anorexia is about wanting to disappear and taking control of the one thing you can: yourself. She was only a child trying to cope and deal with the pain of losing someone she was very close to. Whether you are rich or poor, doesn't make the pain any more bearable. I am happy to see she is doing so much better. A very close friend of mine who happen to be in treatment with Allegra in '98 unfortunately lost her own battle with anorexia at the age of 25 in 2002. I am proud of Allegra for her efforts toward recovery and bravery to discuss it finally as best she can understand and now grasp as a mature young adult at long last blossoming.

[madame fate]

05:18 PM on 06/08/2011

I wonder what Donatella would look like if she hadn't gone the lip implant, botox, plastic surgery route. Her daughter is pretty. But her eyes look so sad...

[Brian Gorrell]

12:06 AM on 06/08/2011

Bad mommy

[Ohsherri]

07:33 PM on 06/07/2011

She's lucky to have a beautiful full face.
Without the bones showing, she can throw you off with her voluptious features.
I can't even imagine what its like to grow up entirely under that industry.
There are so many 'beasts' within all that 'beauty-ness".

[LifeinPictures]

04:36 PM on 06/07/2011

That's one hell of a before and after shot.

[kelsye2000]

04:19 PM on 06/07/2011

yes your period is absent, and many other things. Speaking as someone who spent most of her life dealing with eating disorders, they screw up so many things. Now as a parent my biggest concern is making sure my daughters have a good body image. A disorted body image starts very early in life. A eating disorder never fully goes away, it is just how you deal with it on a daily basis. I hope she gets lots of support and being in the modeling industry won't help :(

[Robin Regan StPierre]

04:12 PM on 06/07/2011

Poor thing ... where so many crave fame and seek it to no end... she just wants to be Allegra.

God bless.

[mmgbizgirl]

02:49 PM on 06/07/2011

It's sad to see the patterns and behaviors being set into place here. I hope she rises above it and loves herself first.

[kvolovesart]

01:45 PM on 06/07/2011

She seems like a mature young lady...I wish her well...
http://whimsicalfolkart.blogspot.com/

[bunny10]

01:17 PM on 06/07/2011

Seems like a sweet girl with a deep soul. Shes pretty too. I hope she gets her life in order.Her mother is hideous and was a huge party girl for years..not such a good example.

[Namvet6871]

12:54 PM on 06/07/2011

This is News?

[AWL]

11:19 PM on 06/08/2011

You're on the Style page, this is hard news.

[LiberalLee]

12:47 PM on 06/07/2011

Sorry rich kid, no pity-party from me. You've got no one to blame for your choices. Got a sickness? See a doctor. You've sure got the money.
Other than that, the only thing I can think of about these two is...it's a good thing they have money. With looks like those....

[wisdomchase]

12:39 PM on 06/07/2011

So you let cruel gossip drive you to anorexia? The Versace name doesn't entitle you to mental peace. Strength... with the ability to cope.The power to withstand comes from within not from money.