Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda Descends on Mexico City—And Sophia Loren Comes Along for the Ride
“I am very happy they are here in Mexico: They make every woman look so elegant.” Angélica Rivera, wife of President Enrique Peña Nieto, neatly summed up the mood of the crowd at the Museo Soumaya last night as Dolce & Gabbana brought its Alta Moda road show to Mexico City.
Shown in the top floor sculpture gallery of Carlos Slim’s Museo Soumaya, this one-off collection for women and men was an ode to Mexican iconography. The Virgin of Guadalupe was stitched into a silk-fringed red lace dress embroidered with flowers. A white cotton and lace dress mirrored the multitiered skirts of traditional Guadalajaran costume, albeit with a radically raised hemline. There were fringed bolero jackets in abundance and multiple rose-bedecked references to the so-intense-as-to-hurt romantic aesthetic of Frida Kahlo. The closing gown was painted by Romero Britto as a tribute to the trailblazing Mexican artist.
Before the show, Domenico Dolce, who had already paid his respects to the Virgin in person, said: “We are guests here, and we are trying to show respect for the culture.” Stefano Gabbana added: “We take ingredients from Mexico and try to make them special in our way. Maybe it’s too obvious—mariachis and the Virgin—but for us, this is something we love. It’s spontaneous.” This trip to Mexico, he added, came about after Britto introduced the designers to members of the Slim family at the 2016 Alta Moda show in Naples.
Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda Descends on Mexico City—And Sophia Loren Comes Along for the Ride
In a capital badly underserved by the international fashion roundabout, this was not a show greeted with reserve. “Guapa! Guapa!” bellowed my seatmate, hotelier Rafael Micha, as especially sensual looks passed by. Along with his friend Silvia Rojo, Micha and many others sung along to the soundtrack of impassioned laments by Alejandro Fernández. They applauded with gusto as Diego Boneta modeled the first men’s look and rose to their feet as the designers walked the runway after the last, Gabbana pausing to rescue a green pump lost by its model mid-walk. Others warmly received models in a North and South American–dominated cast, including homegrown super-influencers Juan Pablo Zurita and Michelle Salas.
The night’s biggest round of applause, however, was saved for a guest. When Sophia Loren arrived with Carlos Slim and his family, even Mexico’s First Lady and her three daughters, Sofía, Regina, and Fernanda, put their hands together. Guapa!
