Milan's Teatro alla Scala opened its doors to stars of fashion and the entertainment world last night on the anniversary of the death of Gianni Versace, who designed costumes for the theatre from 1984 onwards.

The one-hour ballet performance, choreographed by Maurice Béjart, was entitled Grazie Gianni con Amore and brought together the dozen pieces that Versace worked on. The second act incorporated new choreography and costumes designed by Gianni Versace's sister Donatella, who devised the whole event.

Rupert Everett, Sharon Stone, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba were among the 1600 invited guests. After the show there was a banquet at the nearby Palazzo Reale.

The date, July 15, marked the 10th anniversary of Versace's murder by serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Miami. It was coincidentally the only date that La Scala was free until 2010.

Gianni Versace was born in 1946 in Reggio di Calabria in the south of Italy and moved to Milan to build his fashion business. He became a legend in the 1980s when his clothes became synonymous with a new affluent lifestyle.

Béjart, 80, told the Corriere della Sera: Gianni showed me another aspect of theatre transforming my vision of the dance. He could work on three or four ballets and operas at the same time. His creativity was a continual source of inspiration.

Milan is also set to mark the anniversary of Versace's death with an exhibition of his costume sketches and the inauguration of a scholarship at the city's European Institute of Design, BBC News reported.

Charles Searson, Gramophone