Contents of Versace’s Miami estate on block in New York

The contents of Casa Casuarina, Gianni Versace’s Mediterranean-style Miami estate, are being auctioned through Saturday, April 7, by Sotheby’s in New York, according to the BBC. The eclectic contents include theatrical costumes, ready-to-wear designs, evening gowns, and costume sketches along with furniture and artworks. Mitchell Owens, interior design director at Elle Decor, tells the Los Angeles Times, “It’s all gilt and pectoral muscles. It’s very hypermasculine and homoerotic. It was all about being loud and flashy and nouveau riche and having a damned good time doing it.” Elaine Whitmore of Sotheby’s, on the other hand, stated, “He was a genius, not only because of his bold combination of colors and texture in combination with antiques and art, but he also had great taste.... It was not garish at all.” The 600-lot auction is expected to fetch up to $7 million. Proceeds from the auction will go to PAX, a New York charity promoting gun safety, and to the National Center for Victims of Crime in Virginia. The house itself, on the steps of which Versace was murdered in 1997, has been sold for $19 million.