The Rodeo Drive Committee and the City of Beverly Hills honored Gianni Versace and his sister Donatella Versace with the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award on Thursday, February 8, 2007 at Beverly Hills City Hall, where a highlight was the auction of a Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Versace.

The on-going award, which was inaugurated in 2003, honours style legends for their contributions to the worlds of fashion and entertainment. Gianni and Donatella Versace’s permanent plaques, featuring their quotes and signatures, were unveiled the evening prior at the new Beverly Hills Versace boutique on Rodeo Drive. Rupert Everett hosted the evening’s award ceremony which included a live auction of the one of a kind Versace Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and surprise musical performances by Elton John and Guns N’ Roses.

Sharon Stone conducted the auction of the Lamborghini sports car, which was sold for US$500,000. Film stars Sharon Stone and Rupert Everett presented Donatella with her Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award, and Demi Moore presented the award to Gianni Versace with Elton John accepting on his behalf.

The Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster, with 640 PS and a 6.5-litre V12, actually made its public debut last November in Los Angeles, at the international auto show. The LP640 theme, which was presented to the world in coupé format at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006, has been extended to the Roadster version, with breathtaking results. The designation LP640 refers to the horsepower (640 bhp) and the longitudinal positioning (longitudinale posteriore) of the engine behind the cockpit. Removing the roof section on the Roadster involved developing a structurally integral cell to allow it to put its fearsome power down on the road, and this steel-and-carbon fibre setup has been evolved by Lamborghini's factory engineering development team to cope with the additional horsepower turned out by the Murciélago in new LP640 format. The new LP640 Roadster retains the previous chop-top model's very sharp and angular looks and its distinctive bulging engine cover. The LP640 Versace is a limited-edition version, just 20 units are being built, which has been given a makeover by the famous Italian fashion house.

Meanwhile at the Rodeo Drive Walk of Life, members from the fashion, art and entertainment industries were in attendance and included: Prince, Demi Moore, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Penelope Cruz, Drew Barrymore, Rupert Everett, Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, Ingrid Sischy, Editor in Chief of Interview magazine, and DJ Samantha Ronson, were among the other guests. Beverly Hills Mayor Stephen P. Webb and Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Chairperson Peri Ellen Berne were a few of the City of Beverly Hills officials included in the evening’s event.

Guests entered the party through the main entrance of Beverly Hills City Hall, designed to recreate the essence of the Lake Como mansion, Villa Fontanelle, where the Versace family privately entertains their company. Cocktails were served in the Conservatory tent, followed by a dinner reception catered by Along Came Mary consisting of a variety of classic Italian dishes including roasted baquetta, winter squash risotto and baby lamb chops. Creating the intimacy and ambiance of a classic supper club, the sleek, monochromatic interior of the space was designed entirely in black and white and featured embossed leather furniture from the new Versace Home Couture collection. The décor in the main tent was accented by 155 rare imported twinkle light orchids and Mimosa flowers, imported from Liguria Italy, were used to create the feeling of Italian gardens in the fountain areas off of the conservatory.
 

An outdoor banner exhibition featuring images from the Versace Spring 2007 collection shot by former Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honoree, Mario Testino will be displayed on Rodeo Drive and in the Beverly Hills Golden Triangle through February 25.

Gianni and Donatella Versace were selected to receive the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award by an independent group of representatives from the media, entertainment and fashion industries, who were invited to nominate style legends for their contributions to fashion and entertainment.

Founded in 1978 in Milan by Gianni Versace, Versace is one of the leading international fashion design houses and a symbol of Italian luxury worldwide. Gianni’s bold creative genius consistently challenged the boundaries of the fashion industry. His distinctive cuts, vibrant prints and unconventional materials united high art and contemporary culture, and he quickly earned international praise. Today, Versace has evolved into a true lifestyle brand that designs, manufactures, distributes and retails exclusive products including Atelier Versace, prêt-a-porter, accessories, jewelry, watches, fragrances, a complete home collection, private jets and most recently, super cars, in the form of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640 Versace.

Donatella Versace, Gianni’s younger sister, is now the Creative Director of the Versace Group. As the rave reviews of her most recent collections for S/S 2007 attest, she is widely recognized as a supremely talented designer and a worthy successor to her late brother. Donatella started at the company supervising the photo campaigns that so greatly contributed to the unique advertising style of Versace. Her design talent was quickly spotted and she expanded her role to include the design of accessories. Subsequently, she was nominated head designer for Versus, a brand aimed at younger fashion pioneers. After the death of her brother in 1997, Donatella became the Creative Director of the house.

Sculptor Robert Graham's "Torso," standing 14-feet tall at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way, serves as the symbol for the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. Internationally famous, Graham is known for his understanding of the human body as evidenced in his sculptures. His renowned works include: Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Duke Ellington Memorial in New York City, the Olympic Gateway at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, and most recently The Great Bronze Doors at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also in Los Angeles. The Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award, was also designed by Mr. Graham, and it is a miniature model of "Torso."

Gianni and Donatella Versace are the ninth and tenth recipients of this award, following previous honorees Salvatore Ferragamo, Edith Head, James Acheson and Milena Canonero (2006), Herb Ritts and Mario Testino (2005), Tom Ford (2004), and Giorgio Armani (2003). The Walk of Style Program is a partnership between the City of Beverly Hills and the Rodeo Drive Committee developed to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary achievements of artists from the worlds of fashion and entertainment.