Dolce & Gabbana held their latest alta moda (high fashion) show at Milan's famous La Scala Theatre, a historic temple of dance and opera, before a tightly selected audience of VIPs and clients and a handful of journalists.
While the dress code was officially black (sober '60s elegance à la Jackie Onassis), faithful Dolce clients couldn’t resist the urge to go full out. Women wore long ball gowns in bright island hues or body-con minidresses, and sported big hair and glossy lips, with jewels draped around necks and dripping off earlobes. What recession, you might ask, in the midst of such unapologetic extravagance.
Guests were treated to a surprise, with Milan-born ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, etoile (star) at La Scala and principal with the American Ballet Theatre, performing to open each "chapter" of the collection.
Fittingly, the collection was all about drama, from strapless gowns with huge, frothy tulle skirts decorated with famous show sheets from La Scala performances, to gem-encrusted ballet flats worn with white tights and short puffed ballet breeches in golden jacquard. Off-the-shoulder hourglass dresses and Astrakhan outfits offered more chic wearability amid the baroque embellishments and operatic capes.
