Dolce, Gabbana & Kim Kardashian

Dolce&Gabbashian? An American-style play on words with a crasis of the talents' names. Because Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana had a special guest, Kim Kardashian, who was called upon not only to see the show but to be the curator of the runway show for spring-summer 2023. The catwalk saw the doors open to the archives from 1987 to 2007, with re-editions of cult garments chosen by the two designers and the famous social media queen, flanked by a completely new part.

«It all came from Domenico's idea after Kourtney Kardashian's wedding, where Kim and the family wore vintage garments of ours. Why not do something together, we asked her,» the two designers explained to MFF. Then they had an appointment in Los Angeles months ago to choose garments and accessories. In recent days Kim Kardashian arrived in Milan as told by social media with those videos reminiscent of the 60s and the landing of movie stars in Rome. A cinematic atmosphere enveloped the viale Piave location. Outdoor cinema shots with walls covered in maxi black-and-white photos of Kim, who became the protagonist of a short film that served as the backdrop for the show, with the American icon in evening gowns as she acted with her eyes and tasted a plate of pasta with sauce, all very Hollywood star-like in Italy during the golden years of cinema in Rome. «For new generations, those years are their Dolce vita, which were the 1960s for us. We had seen young people’s interest in collections from that 20-year period grow thanks to reselling websites,» the two designers continued. «For us every dress is a story, a life. The one worn by Linda (Evangelista, ed.), Monica (Bellucci, ed.), Madonna… And she really is super prepared, she knows the clothes and remembers perfectly who wore them».

There are small labels on the clothes to remember the year. A sort of retrospective which seems ready for a beautiful exhibition, with those iconic clothes that have shaped the imaginary. Black and beige of course, elasticized fabrics to enhance shapes, democratic shapes of all kinds. Stockings, bras, splinted bodices. Sheer and toe-length skirts, voluminous capes and masculine suits, plastic raincoats and destroy jeans, rosaries and full-body cover-ups. A few concessions to leopard patterns. Then, the metallic highlights of robot-dresses and obi belts forged by a blacksmith. And crystals, a shower of large, generous crystals. «For me, they are like a color,» Kim Kardashian stated. The star walked out at the end of the fashion show with the two designers in front of a parterre illuminated by smartphones lights. A real audience that becomes an immense digital audience, since the front row cannot miss women such as Monica Bellucci, Eva Herzigova, Helena Christensen, and the social family par excellence led by mom Kris Jenner and sister Khloe Kardashian.

Judgement. «It is a challenge to see how much work there is behind a fashion show». Kim Kardashian’s words add energy to a fashion show that enhance and pays homage to an important creative process which has left its mark. Perhaps it was necessary to have an external person to open the doors of that world without being afraid of appearing too smug and to make that selection on an important archive. And she has become a friend, an accomplice, a maison’s lover, part of the family and a new muse among the Dolce&Gabbana queens. (All rights reserved)