It seems to be Donatella Versace's moment: She's already won the heart of the fashion world by gracefully picking up where her brother so tragically left off. And now, as the mastermind behind Chelsea Clinton's décolleté -- and the subject of her own recurring sketch on SNL -- she's become a household name outside of Paris and Milan. This season, she launches a new home-design line in her Fifth Avenue store, upholstered in the very same fabric as her clothing collections.

Your home-design line is much more mod than baroque -- which seems like a departure for Versace . . .
I think the Versace style is to move forward. And anyway, my taste is about going forward.

Will people actually match their clothes and their décor?
I think that people want to buy a piece of Versace anything. You don't have to buy both, but come on -- you can always buy a pillow!

Any home-decorating mantras to share?
I just finished my new apartment in Milan, so yes: The mantra is black. Something black in every room. I love black. Black for me is very lively.

What's your favorite thing about New York style?
I like the black.

What do you think of the Saturday Night Live version of you -- screaming and all?
I love it. I am thinking that I will show up myself one day. The real Donatella! And I don't scream like that usually. But I do scream, yes.

Related:

• Archive: “Gotham: Life in the New City”
• Articles by Amy Larocca
• Table of Contents: Jun 3, 2002 issue of New York | Subscribe!