Dolce & Gabbana: Alta Moda-10 Magnificent Years Of Celebration

‘This Alta Moda collection is very, very, very, very Dolce e Gabbana,’ said Domenico Dolce at the Ortea Palace Hotel in Sicily

Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda events are always worth the wait! The Alta Moda event is to celebrate fashion, craftsmanship, and culture. But this year was exceptional- marking ten years since the duo’s launch into the haute couture industry.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, this time, took their game to another level on Saturday in Ortigia’s historic Duomo Square for the 10th-anniversary celebration.

As guests began to settle in front of the Cathedral of Syracuse- a Unesco World Heritage site in the center of Sicily’s Ortigia Island- Mariah Carey started her performance draped in a figure-hugging Dolce & Gabbana dress.

She then joined the stellar line-up of celebrity guests in the front row along with Sharon Stone, Helen Mirren, Drew Barrymore, Lupita Nyong’o, and singer Ciara with her husband and children, Casey Affleck, Kris Jenner, Christian Bale, Monica Belluci, Heidi Klum, and Vanessa Bryant.

The Alta Moda show kicked off with a reenactment of Cavalleria Rusticana, Pietro Mascagni’s one-act opera about a pair of love triangles.

The Dolce & Gabbana: Alta Moda Collection

“It’s very, very, very D&G DNA. We took everything from our beginning and we made it in an Alta Moda mood. Everyone is crazy for this. For us, it’s sometimes a surprise, but it’s an interesting job, what we can do with the past.”
Gabbana added, mentioning that all of the work is Made in Italy

The collection of 106 outfits was an ode to the Sicilian woman who has remained Dolce & Gabbana’s most enduring muses through the journey. The Mediterranean-inspired color palette, the collection, and the prints were almost entirely in black, depicting the SIlician women.

The corseted black dress with embroidered, appliquéd, hand-painted blossoming flowers, black veils over the brides, wedding dress and matching headpieces, embroideries, and quilted cherubs as white as clouds were seen at large in the collection.

A large bell at the church’s top struck, and there was the first ensemble! The opening look consisted of a short white dress with oversized sleeves shaped like cherubic statues at the top of a set of steps. The second look was even more angelic, with full-sized wings extending from the shoulders and voluminous bridal gowns covered in a three-dimensional fashion.

The black soon made its way into the stream with laser-cut gowns and coat dresses, corsets, shrouds, veils, head scarves, stern pencil skirts, black lace, stiff corsetry, and sheer stockings that give an essence of sensuality and modesty.

Yellow, lime green, pink, red, and orange peeked through the somber palette at specific intervals as the oversized blazer dresses laden with gold embroidery, crystal work, or floral appliques were paired with rhinestone-covered boots or fancy tights. One of the memorable outfits was the hot pink micro skirt with a matching cropped jacket, while the another was a silver dress that shimmered in the night!

“Alta Moda, for me, is about surprises,” said Gabbana. “Every time we start a collection, I want to surprise myself. Every time is a challenge. I want to say something more. And I am full of curiosity.”