Dolce & Gabbana do royalty 'n' roll in Milan

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jan 14, 2018

No Italian brand has reinvented itself so smartly for the digital era as Dolce & Gabbana, whose latest two shows were runway coronations of multiple global influencers.
 

They entitled this fall 2018 menswear collection “King’s Angels", and built a fantasy royal palace facade as a backdrop. It opened Saturday afternoon with the likes of Sean “Diddy” Combs' son Christian in a golden ceremonial frock coat with a medallion belt, and Internet superstar Cameron Dallas as a latter-day Knight of the Garter in black jacquard regimental dress, his arms reading in three-inch letters KING.
 
Though it felt more like Cupids and Kings, as tiny angels and cherubs crawled across half the outfits in this sprawling show. Dolce & Gabbana’s fans don’t care for understatement; indeed they crave attention. It felt like a quarter of their front row came with personal photographers to record their every move. And the collection bristled with crimson jacquard three-piece suits; putty and lime paisley dressing gowns; dashing red brocade coats with fox fur trim, and floral hyper print smoking jackets.

The duo ramped up the atmosphere pre-show with a giant video display of multiple influencers from Rafferty Law (son of Jude Law) to Brandon Thomas Lee (son of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee). To drive the point home, their names would explode into one-meter-high letters.
 
Their finale even featured Juventus Argentine soccer player Paulo Dybala, strutting with aplomb. Though the biggest star turned out to be the Colombian urban pop singer Maluma, dressed in a golden tuxedo, who serenaded the entire cast with a brilliant live runway performance of his hit Felices los 4, winning a standing ovation as a result.
 
Later on Saturday, the design duo staged what they dubbed an Unexpected Show, inside their Martini Bar in central Corso Venezia, using the same casting to display the Dolce & Gabbana take on street style. All, of course, emblazoned with endless punchy logos and lettering – two score of them with King written on humongous baseball jackets, basketball shorts and track pants. All multi-colored in punchy rapper style.
 
The audience was a blend of selected editors and private clients, with the biggest single category very much Chinese. Though the real star of this show was sitting front row – actor Kit Harington. Famed for playing Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, Harington is also the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s latest scent The One, co-staring with his heart-throb in the TV series Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen.
 
“I’ve had a busy day. A three hour morning shoot with GQ Italia; afternoon of interviews; quick bath and now I need a drink!” laughed Harington before generously fetching glasses of Negronis for three other guests in the front row.
 
Though, once again, the biggest cheer of the evening was when Maluma – attired in a white version of the New York Yankees baseball team uniform, replete with a dozen chains, took his bow with Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. They do love a Latin crooner in Milan.