Kim Kardashian has made waves in the fashion industry ever since stepping into the limelight on family reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians (KUWTK) in 2007. She made her runway debut at Balenciaga’s 51st Couture Collection during Paris Haute Couture Week, walking alongside other famous faces like Nicole Kidman, Dua Lipa, and Christine Quinn. In 2019, Kim founded the shapewear and clothing brand SKIMS. Kim has had an unwavering devotion to Dolce & Gabbana that goes back far: growing up with a chihuahua named Dolce and a black labrador named Gabbana, Kim took a strong interest in the brand as she grew older, discussing it heavily on KUWTK. Her sister Kourtney’s wedding was held in the Dolce & Gabbana L’Ulivetta villa in Portofino, where Kim dressed her sisters in her own personal Dolce & Gabbana collection. It is this devotion that led to her collaboration with designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce to curate a collection of 85 hand-selected Dolce & Gabbana pieces that were inspired by favourite looks from her own archival collection of the fashion house over a period of 20 years between 1987 and 2007. Kim was named a guest curator of the brand.
Photo courtesy of Kim Kardashian/Instagram
The stunning SS23 collection, appropriately titled Ciao Kim, debuted during Milan Fashion Week, with the show held in a beautiful 1940s movie theatre. Models floated down the runway with a video backdrop of none other than Kim herself donning a dazzling dress and eating spaghetti in a glamorous restaurant, all the while eyeing the camera deviously in a nod to the ‘@youdidnoteatthat’ Instagram account era, which rose in popularity at the time in response to staged photos of models eating bowls of pasta. Kris, Khloé and three of Kim’s children were seated front row at the event.
Kim transformed Dolce & Gabbana’s traditional look of floral prints and bold colours, instead featuring primarily monochrome designs that tied in well with Kim’s personal style. There was, however, one leopard print outfit, which designers Dolce & Gabbana allegedly convinced Kim to feature. Nostalgic looks were reimagined, giving a respectable nod to the 90s and 00s era of the fashion house. Black lingerie was embellished with crystals and delicate appliqué details. Each piece featured a tailored tag marking the year of the collection in which the original piece was featured. The famous corset top with butterfly appliqué from the Stromboli Spring 1998 collection inspired a new runway piece in the SS23 collection with the tag indicating its year of origin.
via Getty Images
via Getty Images
At the end of the show Kim appeared on stage in a stunning black sparkling silhouette dress that fell to the floor, decorated with Swarovski crystals, and her hair twirled up into a perfectly messy blonde bun. Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce then stepped out behind her, and the three took their bows as the audience applauded their work.
