Dontatella Versace Dresses The Jacksons

This shot is reminiscent of En Vogue's Funky Divas album cover.

(Photos: Getty Images)

As I watched Michael Jackson's Memorial Service on Tuesday, between the laughter and the tears, I couldn't help but notice how fabulously chic the Jackson family looked. The beautiful yellow silk ties the brothers wore, the sharp hats the sisters donned (Miss La Toya worked that hat!)...so classy and elegant. Well, the woman behind their ensembles was none other than Donatella Versace:

Why Donatella Versace Was Chosen to Dress the Jacksons at M.J.'s Memorial

by Kate Scheyer
July 8, 2009, 1:07 PM

The Jackson family’s grief may be personal, but if they were going to mourn in front of the world yesterday at Los Angeles’s Staples Center, they were going to do it in style. So Michael Jackson’s sister Janet Jackson contacted Donatella Versace and asked her to outfit the entire clan.

Donatella herself is no stranger to public mourning, having lost her brother Gianni Versace, founder of the Versace fashion house, in 1997. It was Gianni who first collaborated with Michael, back in 1983; the designer was still an up-and-comer, and the singer was already a superstar in need of an ensemble worthy of a duet with Paul McCartney (“Say Say Say”). The unusual black-and-white-checked tailcoat Gianni whipped up must have pleased Jackson, as he continued to wear Versace both on- and offstage throughout his life. Several of Michael’s iconic, military-inspired costumes, as seen in both the Dangerous and HIStory tours, were Versace creations. Michael also liked his women in Versace: Janet wore the label onstage during her recent Rock Witchu tour, and Lisa Marie Presley appeared in campaigns for Versace’s offshoot label Versus during her marriage to M.J.

For Tuesday’s memorial, Donatella created more fittingly somber numbers than the frogged gold jackets and bodysuits her brother designed for Michael decades ago. The Jackson men were outfitted in sharp black suits and subtly golden ties. When it came to the women, Donatella couldn’t help but add some Versace flair, apparent in the sassy wide brim of Latoya’s hat and the subtly revealing sheer panels of Janet’s black sheath. In a move that was both Versace flash and poignant homage, the men displayed a single white glove as they carried Michael’s fittingly flamboyant gold casket. (Source: Vanity Fair)

But I'm not surprised that the Jacksons were so well put together. Even in times of tragedy, we (Black folk) always put our best foot forward. I remember when my 102 yr-old grandmother passed, there were so many fur coats at her funeral, I thought PETA was gonna roll up in the church!