Over the last couple of years, the infamous Italian luxury fashion brand Dolce and Gabbana has been under fire for some controversial comments. Whether it was a rude comment about celebrities, i.e., calling the Kardashian family “the cheapest people in the world,” or Dolce’s comments regarding IVF treatment and gay parenting, many celebrities and influencers boycotted the brand, with an executive going as far as stepping down. D&G kept a low profile for a couple of years since apologizing for said comments. It must’ve gone over well with the Kardashian family, since the label has decided to collaborate with Kim Kardashian on its SS 2023 collection.
The Kardashians have always been fans of the designer duo and brand. The devotion goes as far back as her teen years, with Khloe naming her black lab dog Gabbana and Kylie’s Chihuahua dog Dolce. Their sister Kourtney Kardashian even held her wedding at Dolce & Gabbana’s L’Ulivetta villa in Portofino earlier this year. For the festivities, Kim went as far as dressing all of her sisters in pieces from her personal D&G collection.
“We were surprised because we say we never look back,” Gabbana said. But the attention the brand generated after “hosting” Kourtney Kardashian’s wedding to musician Traver Barker in May 2022 seemed to inspire the designers to double down.
The latest collection debuted in Milan; it featured 85 pieces of Dolce & Gabbana, inspired by Kim’s favorite archival looks, curated from the brand’s output between 1987 and 2007. The Spring 2023 show positioned Kim as the “curator.” The extravaganza was titled, Ciao Kim.
The show was held in a 1940s theater. Models walked the runway, while a black-and-white video of the Skims founder eating spaghetti played in the background. The brand’s classic pink, vibrant, and floral motifs were nowhere to be seen in this collection. The color palette was refined to mostly black ensembles, metallics, and leopard print. The only “color” was not actually a color at all, but crystal, embellished on most all-black, lingerie-inspired pieces. Some early aughts D&G were entirely remade in the socialite’s image, like the “SEX” choker that now spells out “KIM.”
The reality star made an appearance at the end of the show to take a bow, wearing a sparkling black bodice gown. After the show, she wrote in an Instagram post, “I always loved the beautiful, quintessential 90’s & 2000’s looks… feminine, bold, they always made me feel so confident & glamorous. You could feel the moment you put on a D&G dress that the intention when it was designed & made was to celebrate the woman wearing it. To make her feel like she could do anything, be anything, own her confidence & her beauty.”
Each look made for the collection was rooted in the past, but re-envisioned for the modern day. The brand tailored a visible white rectangular label to each garment to signify from which year the origin of the garment came from.
When asked about her personal style and experience working on the collection, Kim responded, “sometimes I’m a futuristic alien Barbie, which I love. In my soul, I feel like a very sensual Italian mob wife.” We couldn’t agree more.
