MILAN (AP) — Most of Italy’s fashion elite gathered under one roof Tuesday for Vogue’s annual fashion spectacle in the historic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade, featuring performances by Alicia Keys and Italian ballet star Roberto Bolle.
Part runway show, part cultural performance, this year’s Vogue World highlighted Italian craftsmanship and human creativity in the age of artificial intelligence.
Donatella Versace sat alongside Gucci's Demna, Balenciaga's Pierpaolo Piccioli and Valentino's Alessandro Michele – the latter three having recently completed a game of fashion house musical chairs.
Miuccia Prada, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were also on hand for the event that celebrated the kind of handcraftsmanship that has put Italy at the center of luxury fashion. About half of the world’s luxury apparel, footwear and leather goods are produced in Italy.
Gigi Hadid opened the evening gliding through the arcade in a gold brocade gown celebrating the Italian Renaissance. Jennifer Lopez, arriving with designers Dolce and Gabbana, took a turn in a black evening dress. Supermodel Eva Herzegova led a tribute to the late Giorgio Armani, who died last September.
Many designer wears were recognizable as they blazed across the marble gallery floor on models, Italian celebrities and athletes — including trailing Moncler puffers, Prada’s banana-print button down shirt, a safety pin-cinched Versace evening gown, a Pucci print and a Bottega Veneta fiberglass coat.
Keys closed the evening performing in a beaded dress with a regal train under the Galleria's glass dome. Bolle, who performed with dancers from La Scala's academy, presented her with a rose.
Milan was the last of the four major fashion capitals to host the event, which launched in New York in 2022, followed by editions in London, Paris and Los Angeles. This edition raised money for a cultural center fostering fashion, music and artistic talent at the Quarto Oggiaro Library in northwestern Milan.
