Dolce & Gabbana’s Midsummer Night’s Dream

  
Image credits: instagram.com_fashionsociety (left); instagram.com_StefanoGabbana (right) 

Talk about a fairy tale ending. After the Valentino haute couture show in Rome, the last stop for the fashion set, after a whirlwind month of resort and couture presentations, was Portofino, where Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce had set up a full-blown romantic fantasy in the garden of Dolce’s majestic home to show their fall 2016 Alta Moda collection.

The designers brought to life the magical fairyland where Shakespeare’s Queen Titania and her minions wreaked mischief in verdant gardens. As guests arrived, “fairies” in gold sequin dresses sprinkled petals at their feet, a harpist plucked her chords and Renaissance pages held flower-garlanded arches aloft.

Models glided down the runway in 94 Alta Moda looks. One channelled Titania via her tall floral crown; another had donkey’s ears – a nod to Bottom. A fairy princess wore an Empire-line gown with a gilded bust and a richly-hued floral skirt, accessorised with golden filigree wings, and another had peacock feathers as the corona of her crown and wore an ornately embroidered gold lace coat.

Image credit: from left, instagram.com_VogueMexico (1,2 & 3); instagram.com_StefanoGabbana (4)

The magic didn’t stop there. This was a weekend affair and, the next night, it was the men’s turn in the spotlight. Ridiculously handsome men in all manner of opulent attire sauntered around the Castello Brown, with its amazing medieval frescoes and staircase walls covered in glazed Sevillian tiles.

On the last night, the designers asked all their guests to dress in gold for a midnight party in Santa Marghertia, where Kylie Minogue gave a surprise performance in a twinkling headdress of golden stars and shimmering wisp of a dress.

(Image credit: instagram.com_StefanoGabbana)

It was fashion magic at its most enchanting.