Mood board: Just when you thought the cast of 1990s supermodels on the Milan catwalks couldn’t get any bigger or bolder (Shalom Harlow at Versace, Carolyn Murphy at Ferragamo, Amber Valetta at Agnona to name a mere few), Dolce & Gabbana closed the season with a supermodel-strutting bang. Monica Bellucci opened the show in a clingy polka dot dress, Eva Herzigová followed in a gothic ruffled ball gown… Carla Bruni and Helena Christensen followed suit. But it wasn’t just about the supers. Dolce & Gabbana has favoured millennial models with astonishing social media presence in recent seasons, but for spring the designer’s opted for a more inclusive take, less focused on follower figures. Their advertising campaigns evoke the warmth and hospitality of Italian culture – all images of family meals and Sicilian sojourns, and with kids, couples and an array of shapes and sizes on the S/S 2019 catwalk their show had the same energy.
Best in show: The S/S 2019 show was a retrospective of sorts – guests were treated to a book detailing the DNA of the brand, including ‘Baroque’, ‘Religion’ and ‘Pasta’ – and was a stellar summation of its codes. Glittering jacquard tailoring, clingy black dresses, imaginative prints (playing cards, Catholic icons, farmyard animals and florals to name a few)… the signatures were all here and looked a whole lot lovelier on the brand’s diverse range of models.
Finishing touches: Raffia bonnets, rose bush minaudières, sliders lined with plastic grass, floral headpieces and Dolce & Gabbana’s newly launched Devotion bag. The brand’s accessory offering is always eclectic and imaginative, and this season they couldn’t have been worn better. §
