Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Dolce & Gabbana’s Stunning Alta Moda Show in Venice Boasted Both a Lightning Strike and a Rainbow

Dolce & Gabbana’s Stunning Alta Moda Show in Venice Boasted Both a Lightning Strike and a Rainbow

Dolce & Gabbana presented their new Alta Moda collection at Venice’s famed St. Mark’s Square, before a crowd that included Jennifer Lopez, Puff Daddy, and more.

Even though Venice was founded 1,600 years ago, it seems safe to say this city has never seen a sight like that which unfolded here tonight. Watched by an audience that included Jennifer Lopez, Sean Combs, Doja Cat, Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Ciara, Monica Bellucci, Christian Bale, Dame Helen Mirren, Kitty Spencer and many more, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana presented their latest Alta Moda collection in a venue that has, until now, never hosted a fashion show: St Mark’s Square.

Those amongst the 400 or so super-rich clients in the audience who had attended these Dolce & Gabbana couture shows before knew to expect something extraordinary, and the designers duly delivered. Once we had settled into this so-famous-it-seemed-unreal space, we were treated to a 20-minute performance that mixed carnival with Fellini-esque storytelling. Jennifer Hudson appeared in a golden dress and belted out a spine-tingling performance of “Nessum Dorma,” from Turandot, as the drones and seagulls arced overhead. This gave you time to soak up the Venetian Gothic backdrop and marvel and the sheer wonder of being here, doing this.

Next came the collection which was naturally delivered by gondola. These ancient boats, steered by strapping gentlemen and aided by an unusually cool breeze skimming across the lagoon offshore, offloaded a procession of models at the servizio pier alongside the Doge’s Palace. As ever with these Alta Moda collections, the pieces were deeply seeped in the local artisanship and creative culture of the host city, in order both to celebrate the richness of Italian craftsmanship and in order to provide those clients with a site-specific and unique souvenir.



Thus dresses in georgette and tulle were embroidered to uncannily reproduce the kaleidoscopic patterns of Murano glass, or the serpentine patterns on the floor of St Mark’s. There were incredibly overstated cloaks in knotted rope and pieces collaging the city’s famed winged lion protector, gondola prows, and carnival masks. Huge confections in satin (heavily used to reflect the silky canal reflections that intersect this city everywhere), and turbulent splashes in georgette added up to fantasy masked ball material.

Before this show Gabanna and Dolce had said that they planned to present a younger side of Alta Moda, “because everyone thinks couture is for the old, but that’s not how it has to be.” This was reflected in the punky styling and a casting that included a sextet of celebrity offspring, made up of Chance, Jessie James and D’Lila Star (daughters Sean Combs), Deva (daughter of Monica Bellucci), Emmeline, (daughter of Christian Bale) and Leni (daughter of Heidi Klum).

As this show continued, however, the typical extraordinariness of this Alta Moda presentation became exceptionally so, for it was as if Venice had been stirred into making a show of its own. By around 7:32 pm, just as Leni Klum was traversing the runway, a blanket of ominous clouds-almost as densely patterned as a Murano collage dress-seemed suddenly to be tugged down the skyline, leaving us suffused in an apricot sunset. Then minutes later, plump and apparently reluctant drops of rain began to splash the marble flagstones, creating the perfect conditions for a rainbow that unfolded from the roof of the Doge’s Palace and stretched towards the Lido. Next came a ripple of sheet lightning, and then a jagged fork, and then two huge coughs of thunder, before the rain came in earnest. Completely wonderfully, the soundtrack to all this was Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” and completely fortunately, the rain only started to fall heavily just as the designers ran down the runway to a damp standing ovation.

Afterwards Domenico Dolce said: “You know I am a Catholic so I asked the Virgin, ‘please, wait a little bit! Please!’” These were clothes-and a show-that both restored your faith in fashion and revived the joy of coming together to watch it unfold.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×