Friends and family of fashion designer Gianni Versace marked the 10th anniversary of his death with a special ballet performance at Milan's famed La Scala opera house.

French choreographer Maurice Béjart, who worked with the late Gianni Versace on 12 ballets, is seen here at La Scala opera house in Milan on Saturday.
(Luca Bruno/Associated Press)

About 1,500 guests graced the red carpet Sunday evening to watch a two-part tribute, called Grazie Gianni con Amore, which pays homage to the dozen ballets Versace designed for.

The event was organized by choreographer Maurice Béjart who worked with the late designer on 12 ballets.

"Gianni plunged into dance," Béjart said at a press conference on Saturday. "It was two artists, two art forms, working on the same level."

Versace first worked with Béjart in 1984 and their last collaboration was on Barocco Bel Canto, which debuted in Florence in June 1997. Soon after, on July 15, the designer was murdered outside his Miami mansion.

His sister, Donatella, who took over his fashion empire, contributed to the ballet tribute, designing some of the costumes.

"All my costumes play on light," said Donatella, who added that a ballet is the appropriate way to honour her brother.

"He was a genius and a simple exhibition of his designs would have been banal. Fashion wasn't enough for him; he also loved art, music, history and dance."

Versace was born Dec. 2, 1946 in the town of Reggio di Calabria in southern Italy. Already designing clothes at the age of 22, he would cement his fashion status during the 1980s with metallic creations, as well as inventing elaborate costumes for singer Elton John.

In addition to the La Scala event, the city of Milan is featuring an exhibit of his sketches of theatre costumes on the streets of the city. There's also a scholarship in his name at the European Institute of Design.