Alta Moda came to a fitting close on Wednesday night beneath the sun setting against the imposing Castel Sant’Angelo. Set on the banks of the Tiber, this historic structure was originally built as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, and later repurposed to be used as a fortress by the popes. To reach it, guests crossed the famed Ponte Sant’Angelo, lined with angelic sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Most recently seen in the Oscar-nominated Conclave, the castle’s papal legacy formed the foundation for Dolce & Gabbana's Alta Sartoria men’s collection, in the form of a journey through the language of ecclesiastical dress.
The show opened with a belted coat embroidered with the red cassocks worn by Catholic cardinals and trimmed in intricate goldwork. This was followed by vestment-inspired tops, crafted in crisp, openwork linen, and paired with flowing satin trousers in cardinal red, green and yellow.
A floor-length cape was densely stitched with an image of the castle itself, followed by sleeveless white tops moulded with the faces of the angels from the bridge. Antique altar cloths were transformed into sharply cut suit jackets.
Tabards were rendered in inky blue sequins or encrusted with dense silver beadwork, echoing ceremonial mitres. This intricate detailing also adorned long coats and papal-esque capes. The visual language of devotion – itself a fitting metaphor for the reverent craftsmanship on show – was expressed in golden breastplates worn over high-neck white shirts, gem-studded necklaces and brass thurible incense burners swinging from chains.
Naturally, as this was Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria, there was no shortage of impeccable suiting: white brocade trimmed with pearls, iridescent black suits with embroidered lapels, sleeveless styles worn with long gloves and oversized gold flower brooches, and looks in muted gold or silver, entirely beaded or traced with pearl matrices.
Others were richly brocaded, or embroidered in precious metal thread, fastened with silk fascia sashes. One wisteria-hued jacket shimmered with gold embroidery; another, in shocking fuchsia silk, was edged in pearls.
Liturgical velvet capes in gold, midnight blue, and scarlet were blanketed in embroidery or sequins, while a cassock in papal purple with a short pellegrina cape swirled with golden threadwork.
The collection was astonishing in its regal detail, a fact fully revealed only when the models assembled on the bridge for the finale. Up close, one suit that appeared to be jacquard, was in fact fully beaded in purple and black bugle beads, a piece that surely took weeks to create. In a collection steeped in sartorial devotion, this look encapsulated its essence.
Such craftsmanship is at the heart of Dolce & Gabbana’s touring exhibition From the Heart to the Hands, which recently opened in Rome. Celebrating a decade of Alta Moda, it showcases the house’s dedication to preserving Italian artisanal know-how.
After blockbuster stops in Paris and Milan, the show is set to travel to the United States next, with rumours of future showings in the Middle East.
The five-day Dolce & Gabbana Roman spectacle that culminated in Alta Sartoria was nothing short of cinematic, a sweeping ode to couture, craft and culture. Yet amid the grandeur, two notes struck a poignant chord. The eagerly awaited Alta Gioielleria evening was cancelled due to a thunderstorm. And Stefano Gabbana was notably absent, having left early to be with his ailing mother – a quiet reminder of life’s deeper rhythms beneath fashion’s gilded surface.
Still, the show went on. As Domenico Dolce took his bow beneath the castle, fireworks lit up the sky. Later, as guests strolled to dinner via the specially closed-off Spanish Steps, Dolce paused to greet clients with warm embraces and evident affection.
The night was, in every sense, a Roman holiday: unforgettable, intimate and touched by a kind of magic no runway can exude.
