In a stunning turn on the runway, Dua Lipa, together with Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid, Lola Leon, and more upped the livestream traffic of the Versace Spring/Summer 2022 show in Milan.
Under a canopy of eye-popping prints rendered in silk that gracefully danced to the Milanese draft, the hum of whispers rose to a steady chorus of rumors trailing the host of the night, Versace. Will the speculated Fendi collaboration drop? What direction is the storied Italian house going into for the next fashion cycle? Who will open the show? As if on cue, Dua Lipa’s 2020 hit, Physical, took over the room, signaling the start of the Versace show. Much to everyone’s surprise, a silhouette emerged from the end of the runway backed by the iconic scarves, naturally. With the 80s synth beats filling the room, the British pop star emerged wearing a surprisingly sedate first look: a black blazer cut with precision baring a strategic slice of skin and slashed shin-length skirt, both of which were decorated in a rainbow-colored version of the brand’s iconic safety pin detail.
Without a second to spare, all phones were up and social media was immediately abuzz with the fact that Dua Lipa just opened the Versace Spring/Summer 2022 show. A surprise for the night, as this was her runway debut, the Future Nostalgia singer is no stranger to Italian fashion icon. From her puffed purple printed ribbon dress at the 2019 Met Gala, the silver chainmail mini dress with a swooped neckline at the 2020 American Music Awards, and the 2021 update on Mariah Carey’s legendary butterfly ensemble in the 2021 Grammys, Dua Lipa has been rocking to some serious Versace threads for a while now. In fact, she recently starred in the Fall/Winter 2021 campaign, this time as an official Versace girl in an exceedingly cheerful yellow cap-sleeved dress and black silk scarf to tame her fiery red locks.
“I think Dua wears my creations with an effortless elegance,” says the indomitable Donatella Versace. The respect and admiration is mutual because for Dua Lipa, it is an honor to represent not only an enduring standard of fashion, but also to be part of its legacy of unapologetic women empowerment. “Getting to work so closely with Donatella and bonding over our shared love of fashion has been surreal,” expressed the artist.
Related Story: REMEMBER WHEN DUA LIPA CAME TO THE PHILIPPINES AND FLEW RIGHT UNDER OUR RADAR?
Put On A Show
With a gradient of green and blue lining her eyes and her torso grazing jet-black hair swaying side to side, Dua Lipa led the charge of the Versace assemblage, which unraveled to a consistently youthful incarnation of the brand’s signatures. From the peeps of the Medusa and La Greca print as hemlines, scarf tops, and bandannas, there was a lot more to take in from the show’s 79 looks such as roomier silhouettes, printed pajama co-ords, neon-blocked statements, logo tees, many iterations of the Medusa Aevitas Pumps, and an intriguing magenta collegiate section.
In what was deliberately a social media-skewed collection (a lot of these looks will have TikTok fashion buzzing), the range ran the gamut with boxy shoulders, an excess of fabric yardage, and of course, the not-to-be-missed saucy and slinky shapes that sauntered down the runway to more of Ms. Lipa’s bouncy discography.
Bringing these pieces to life with Dua Lipa were Lola Leon (aka Madonna’s child), Gigi Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, Irina Shayk, Precious Lee, and Versace stalwart, Naomi Campbell, all of whom basked in the moment to this return to fashion’s glory. It was literally a showstopper, because this assemblage of fresh, favorite, and faithful faces crashed the Versace website that hosted the livestream. This was of course addressed swiftly, but it doesn’t take away from the fact in its carved corner of the virtual space, they broke the internet.
Versace Girl Forever
As austere as her entrance was, Dua Lipa flashed the scene as she closed the Versace, appropriately, of course, in a two-piece metallic hot pink chainmail ensemble that dazzled under the watchful eye of the spotlight. Strutting her stuff to the end of the seemingly kilometric walk through, she punctuated the presentation with pop star by sticking her tongue out in triumph.
“Such an honour to open and close the @versace show tonight in Milan,” Dua Lipa wrote on Instagram not too long after. “A surreal moment I’ll never EVER forget!! @donatella_versace you know I’ll be your Versace girl forever.”
Now that the internet has had time to catch its collective breath and recover from the zap of electric energy, it’s safe to say that Versace put on quite the show. You really don’t mess with Medusa, okay. That’s how it’s done, kids.
