Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are reinventing their luxury label, Dolce&Gabbana, this time in Saudi Arabia's city of AlUla where they held an extraordinary show that acted as rebirth of the fashion house.
The designers graced AlUla with their luxurious Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria and Alta Gioielleria collections. With dresses inspired by ancient myths, the flowers of Dolce&Gabbana fluttered with the Jabal Ikmah as the backdrop, merging the Italian label's luxury with the ancient heritage of AlUla, transforming it into a city of elegance and beauty.
Dresses made of tulle, lace, velvet, layers of taffeta and chiffon graced the Alta Moda. They were handstitched with the rich style that is the pride of the Italian label. Models in updos and Roman tiaras strutted down the catwalk in the intricately designed dresses, with exquisitely detailed beading and embroidery. To complete the picture, several of the models wore Roman style sandals.
The Alta Moda pieces hark back to the baroque style, puffy dresses and extravagant elegance. At the same time, they reflect modern times and AlUla itself that summarizes the whole of history in its location, and yet, whose modern spirit is experienced by its visitors.
Held outdoors in the afternoon with Jabal Ikmah in the background, the setting sun's rays reflected on the glittering jewelry and intricate beading, creating an ethereal golden light over the show. The show itself was opened with a puffy golden dress that was intricately designed.
The Alta Sartoria men's collection was marked by vibrant bright colors. The models displayed total looks, wearing eye-catching shoes that were works of art onto themselves. The Alta Gioielleria jewelry collection focused on dangly earrings, shimmering with diamonds, gold and precious gems.
Dolce&Gabbana had a surprise in store for the audience, mirrored sunglasses that the fashion house named "Mirage in ALUla".
Asharq Al-Awsat asked members of the audience of their impression of the extraordinary show before it got underway. Kuwaiti photographer, Lulu al-Khattaf, who has over 730,000 followers on Instagram, told Asharq Al-Awsat she was "amazed" with the organization and set up of the show. "Everything here is so very grand," she added.
Al-Khattaf had visited AlUla in 2019, but it wasn't until she visited it this week that she said she can envision it as a global city, which has attracted the biggest names in art, fashion and beauty from around the world.
