> NYT - May 25, 1999 > > Versaces Halt Unauthorized Book on Slain > Designer > > By CATHY HORYN > > Like her late brother Gianni, Donatella > Versace is no shrinking violet when it > comes to revealing the more sensational > aspects of her public life. Ask her about > her diamonds, her famous friends or the > time she flew a New York hairdresser to > Milan to give her and Naomi Campbell > extensions while they ate spaghetti in Ms. > Versace's marble bathroom, and she will > tell all. > > The corn-haired Ms. Versace, who assumed > creative control of the $560 million > > Versace fashion empire after her > brother's murder in 1997, is similarly > candid about her family's complex > relations. When asked in March about > a rift between her and Antonio D'Amico, > Versace's companion of many years, she > replied: "My relationship with Antonio is > exactly as it was when Gianni was alive. I > respected him as the boyfriend of my > brother, but I never liked him as a > person." Ms. Versace smiled. "So the > relationship stayed the same." > > But as with even the most public > personalities, there are apparently limits > to what Ms. Versace and her other brother, > Santo, the oldest of the three > Calabrian-born siblings and the company's > chief executive, want revealed about their > family and business -- and by whom. > > Last week in New York, lawyers for the > Versaces effectively stopped the > publication of a controversial biography > that would have depicted Versace as a > colossal talent who, behind the glamorous > facade of palatial homes and celebrity-filled > fashion shows, bullied employees and berated > journalists who wrote unflattering reviews of > his collections. > > Along with depictions of promiscuity on > the part of the designer, the book, which > was in galley form and set for publication > on July 1, also painted an unflattering > picture of the lifestyles of the surviving > siblings. It was this latter material that > apparently prompted the threat of legal > action. > > Canceling a book so near its release date > is not all that rare, but in the case of > "Undressed: The Life and Times of Gianni > Versace," an unauthorized biography by > Christopher Mason, the decision by Little, > Brown raises questions about the kinds of > pressure, legal and otherwise, that a > powerful fashion house can bring to bear > on a publisher, an author and his sources. > > Mason maintains that in their effort to > stop his book, representatives for the > Versaces got in contact with people whom > he had interviewed and tried to persuade > them to recant their statements, in some > cases, he said, offering legal documents > for them to sign. > > Just why Little, Brown, a division of Time > Warner, halted publication is not clear. > Michael Pietsch, the editor in chief (and > Mason's editor), declined to comment, and > referred questions to a spokeswoman. In a > brief statement, she said, "In mid-March, > we received letters" from the Versace > attorneys "threatening legal action." She > added that the publisher "agreed with > Christopher Mason that it could not be > published in its present form, and he > withdrew it." > > She also said that because the book had > been postponed once, last July, and thus > had appeared twice in Little, Brown's > sales catalog, the publisher was opposed > to another delay that could diminish > interest in the book. "It would be > impossible for Little, Brown to sell the > book yet again," the spokeswoman said. > > The Versaces, through their press agents, > Ed Filapowski in New York and Emanuela > Schmeidler in Milan, said that they were > satisfied with the decision by Little, > Brown to kill the book, which they said > they had opposed from the outset. > > When it was announced by Little, > the day that Versace died that Mason had > been signed to write a biography, to the grieving > Versaces the author appeared to be an > opportunist. The family members have said > they further resented the inference that > Mason - a freelance writer of style and > architectural articles for a number of > publications, including The New York Times > - was a close friend of the designer (all > agree that they had met only a few times, > in 1997). > > Mason was shunned by the Versaces, and > Filapowski said that his firm sent letters > to potential sources asking them not to > cooperate with him. > > To make matters worse, at least for Mason, > who accepted a six-figure advance, he had > agreed to complete the biography in six > months, and he was unable to do so, which > is why the book was shelved the first > time. > > Two months ago, after bound galleys of > Mason's manuscript had been sent to > magazine editors for review, a report > appeared in The New York Post saying that > the author had hired ghost writers to > draft chapters of his book. The suggestion > that not all the reporting was his own > seemed to be another strike against > Mason's credibility. Mason said that it > was the suggestion of editors that he > employ ghost writers, though he said that > most of that material was scrapped with > the first draft. > > On Monday, Filapowski said: "It is > apparent that Little, Brown lost > confidence in this manuscript. The > manuscript is full of inaccuracies and > misrepresentations and clearly could not > be salvaged. We did what anyone else would > do under the circumstances, which is to > defend ourselves and our name." > > From Milan, Ms. Schmeidler, the press > agent, added that the objections of the > Versaces were not based on unflattering > depictions of the family, but rather on > the veracity of Mason's reporting. "It's > not about a good biography or a bad > biography," she said. "It's about a > serious biography." > > But Mason and people familiar with the > legal discussions that took place say that > Little, Brown's decision to cancel the > book had little, if anything, to do with > the veracity of the reporting. > > Beginning last December, Mason's > manuscript went through an extensive legal > review, he said, and again in early spring > when attorneys for the Versaces threatened > to take legal action if changes were not > made. > > A number of changes were made, Mason said, > though some of the most unflattering > material passed the initial scrutiny of > Little, Brown's lawyers. "I felt > completely confident about my reporting, > and I had substantial documentation," > Mason said. "I felt, sure, we were having > problems, but they could be easily > surmounted." > > At the same time, Mason said, he began to > receive "terrifying, withering" phone > calls from sources, about 10 in all, who > he said told him they had been reached by > the Versace attorneys or family > representatives and told that they could > face legal action if they didn't recant > statements they had made to Mason. > > "They were obviously extremely scared," > said Mason, who on the advice of his own > lawyer declined to give their names. "I > certainly got the feeling that a lot of > people were intimidated by the > implications of talking to me for this > book." > > Filapowski denied that there were any > attempts to intimidate sources. > > Mason acknowledged that his project had > been dogged by problems from the start. It > had been his intention to ask Versace, > whom he visited in Miami in the spring of > 1997 after writing an article about his > New York town house for The Times, to > collaborate on a book. He had planned to > see Versace in August at his home near > Lake Como, in Italy, and was drafting a > proposal when the designer was killed. "If > he hadn't been interested, frankly, I > don't know whether I would have done the > book," Mason said. > > Against his better judgment, he said, he > agreed to write "Undressed" in six months. > "I have to admit, you know, to a certain > amount of a naivete in this," he > continued. "Obviously, I wanted to do an > extremely thorough, thoughtful, balanced, > scrupulously researched account of > Gianni's life. No one can do a book in six > months." > > Mason may have been out of his depths in > other ways. Without a deep knowledge of > the idiosyncratic fashion world, and > because the Versaces effectively closed > off access to many of the primary sources > who could have given him greater insight > into the family, Mason's perceptions may > not have been fully informed. For > instance, he seemed surprised when told of > Donatella Versace's comment about D'Amico, > which is typical of her brusqueness. "I'm > amazed to hear her say that," he said. > > Yet, after everything he has been through, > he has at least seen one reality of the > fashion business. "Image is so important > to a fashion house," he said. "For the > Versaces, I'm sure, it's an economic > decision. I don't think it's just vanity. > It's a giant commercial decision. It's > business." > > In recent years, the Versaces have > successfully sued several British > publications for libel, winning in court > or settling for damages and a public > apology. > > Mason's publisher, despite canceling his > contract, paid his advance in full, > freeing him to sell the book elsewhere. > > He added, sounding fatalistic: "They've > won, basically. The book isn't coming out. > They won." > > Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company
