Dolce & Gabbana’s show is always a much-anticipated event at Milan Fashion Week, promising to be a fun-filled highlight of the jam-packed calendar. Along the same theme as their AW17 Menswear show in January, Dolce & Gabbana again invited YouTube and Instagram influencers from the millennial generation to be the models in their womenswear show today in Milan. The trend-setters that made up the cast included, Chloe x Halle, Negin Mirsalehi and an actual princess; Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece. Also in the mix this time was Lana el Sahely who was flying the flag representing the Arab world.
The show was a celebration of glitzy and glamorous parties and the people who attend them; every look was full on and made no apologies in its flamboyance and fun-factor. Singer Austin Mahone started proceedings by taking the stage with a slowed down remix of Modjo’s 2001 hit ‘Lady, hear me tonight,’ accompanied only by a live pianist. That served well to get everyone’s attention; then the beat kicked in and the party really got started. Throughout the show, he sang live while he weaved, danced and bopped in between the models on the runway.
The show opened with love as Amanda and Jason Harvey and their two children took to the runway in matching outfits printed with cats. From then, the animal references just kept on coming. There were giant fur hats in the shape of panther and leopard heads. Classic leopard print was in abundance; from the classic figure-hugging strappy dresses to formal blazers and even an oversized puffa jacket. There was a glittering silver zebra gown and an equally glitzy gold leopard gown. Some coats even had one arm completely furry as it made up the body of a leopard or tiger whose over-size head was appliqued onto the front of the pieces. Several sheer maxi dresses had a dog print on them, and at one point a real live dog took to the runway!
Royal references were key; most models wore some kind of tiara, or if not, a beanie or headband that quite literally said ‘D&G Queen’ or ‘Princess’ on it. Also, there were white tees with Justin Bieber’s face on the front that said ‘KING;’ on the back it simply stated ‘We love Justin Bieber.’ You can’t get clearer than that.
Classic Dolce & Gabbana florals took many multi-coloured forms; with the traditional black dress as back drop and also sprung to life in 3D embellishment and appliqué.
There was the chaos one would expect from a show walked by non-professional models; people turning the wrong way, walking into each other and nearly tripping each other up. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and a lot gave a smile as they walked down or reached the end of the runway, reminding everyone that this was meant to be a fun and modern show that didn’t take itself too seriously. At the end, the models flooded back onto the runway one more time to cement the party-vibe and close another fun-filled escapade from the Dolce & Gabbana boys.
