Ashley Graham, Naomi Campbell, and Halima Aden. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana/Instagram
Dolce & Gabbana are renowned for sourcing models for their seasonal shows from all walks of life, whether Hollywood stars, catwalk legends, or millennial influencers – and their Alta Moda extravaganza was no exception. Design duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana presented the latest instalment of their couture journey in Italy’s Lake Como this weekend, featuring an A-list cast of models that created just as much buzz as the collection. Aristocrat Lady Kitty Spencer, British chef Emma Weymouth, and 70-year-old Canadian-South African model Maye Musk were among those to stroll down the graveled runway of the Teresio Olivelli park at dusk.
Eva Herzigova, Helena Christensen, and Sonia Ben Ammar. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana/Instagram
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The Italian label also roped in industry icons and heavyweights, including Helena Christensen, who swept down the catwalk in a gothic, black lace creation, with chunky jewels and a red bloom in her updo adding extra theatrics. Eva Herzigova embraced the 100-look collection’s focus on romance in a floral, embroidered frock coat with matching waistcoat, tailored pants, and finished off with a regal crown. Rising star Sonia Ben Ammar also echoed such bucolic notes with a headpiece of lavender and blue blooms, with the French-Tunisian model’s sheer, empire-waisted gown fusing a nostalgic silhouette with a contemporary touch.
Looks leaned towards a dark drama, with lashings of black lace and marabou feathers, or the kaleidoscopic, in a flash of prints and a surreal blur of color. Ashley Graham certainly represented the former, with the current Vogue Arabia cover star waltzing down the catwalk in a figure-hugging yet fluid ebony gown, a lace robe nonchalantly hung from one shoulder. Somali-American model Halima Aden was decked out in luxe feathers, which adorned a vibrant, printed high-necked gown, with a bejeweled tiara set atop her hijab.
Fashion legend Naomi Campbell, however, may just have stolen the show in a strapless gown that encapsulated the collection’s penchant for the electric. Richly embroidered with a structured skirt layered with feathers of all the rainbow, the scene-stealing creation was offset with a carnival-style headpiece laden with gems and red and golden plumes. Flamboyant, vivacious, and unashamedly majestic, it is certainly a design that will not swiftly be forgotten
“It’s not about one reference,” Dolce told Vogue US backstage, when quizzed about the collection. “Maybe you can find seven different references in one outfit Nothing is old, and nothing is new.” “Today there are too many people in fashion talking about nothing much,” added Gabbana. “At the end of the day it is just about clothes, and emotion. So we don’t plan anything and we change the clothes during the fittings according to how they work on the models.”
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