Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana chose Taormina’s historic Greco-Roman Teatro Antico as the venue for their latest Alta Sartoria collection, turning a multi-day showcase of haute couture and high jewelry into something closer to an opera performance. The amphitheater, set against the Sicilian coast with Mount Etna looming in the distance, hosted family-style dinners, late-night dance parties, and front-row appearances by soccer star Erling Haaland and actor Theo James.
The show itself began as the sun dropped behind the volcano.
Candles flickered to life in the theater’s upper tiers, and a pre-runway scene inspired by Pietro Mascagni’s 1890 opera Cavalleria Rusticana unfolded. Local farmers and fishermen greeted one another and picked staged fights. Black-clad widows wagged fingers or pinched cheeks. A shepherd lingered at the edge of the action. A voiceover reminded the audience that honor is not a matter Sicilians take lightly.
Related: African Fashion Brands Weigh Pricing Strategies
When models finally emerged, they weren’t playing Mascagni’s characters. They were dressed as would-be audience members arriving for a gala opening night — black tie tuxedos, opera cloaks, glossy riding boots. Lapels carried medallions. Gold bullion embroidery covered so much fabric it could have weighed down a fishing boat in Taormina Bay.
Tailoring that breaks its own rules
Dolce and Gabbana are known for sharp, exacting tailoring. But these suits were looser, often deliberately unstructured. An asymmetric sash draped from a jacket. In some cases the jacket disappeared entirely, replaced by a bejeweled silk pajama shirt. Pants were pleated and full, with deep breaks at the ankle. A few muscle tees showed local scenery or dripped with trompe l’oeil chains.
They have spent 14 years staging haute couture events, and one thing they’ve learned is that embellishment isn’t gendered. Their male clients want lace, brocade, and flowers just as much as the women do. The duo has built a deep respect for the pageantry of masculinity into their work, and the collection reflected that. Post-show chatter revealed that the code-switching goes both ways: more than one female client planned to buy directly from the men’s Alta Sartoria line.
Related: Freaky shoes demand bold pedicures
An ending borrowed from tragedy
Masculinity has its perils, and the show didn’t ignore them. Cavalleria Rusticana ends with the death of its protagonist in a duel. Staying faithful to the opera’s arc, the runway presentation closed with a funeral march. The entire cast of townspeople followed behind the clergy.
But there are no unhappy endings chez Dolce & Gabbana.
At the finale, Dolce and Gabbana came out for a bow. Then all 100 or so models stepped off the stage to pose for pictures and chat with guests. It was a break-the-fourth-wall moment that pleased the crowd — especially the models who turned out to be Haaland fans.
Leave a Reply