Vogue World Brings Star Power and Italian Craft to Milan's Galleria

Italy's fashion establishment converged on Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on Tuesday for Vogue World, an annual event that blends runway presentation with live performance.

The evening placed Italian craftsmanship at its centre, with organisers framing the programme as a statement on human creativity at a time of rapid advances in artificial intelligence. Roughly half of the world's luxury apparel, footwear and leather goods are made in Italy, a fact the event sought to spotlight.

Among those in attendance were Donatella Versace, Miuccia Prada, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Gucci's Demna, Balenciaga's Pierpaolo Piccioli and Valentino's Alessandro Michele were also present, following a recent round of leadership changes across several major fashion houses.

Gigi Hadid opened the show, moving through the arcade in a gold brocade gown inspired by the Italian Renaissance. Jennifer Lopez, who arrived with Dolce and Gabbana, wore a black evening dress. Supermodel Eva Herzigova led a tribute to Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who died last September.

Designs from several labels were recognisable as models, Italian celebrities and athletes walked the marble floor, among them trailing Moncler puffers, a banana-print Prada shirt, a safety-pin-cinched Versace gown, a Pucci print and a Bottega Veneta fiberglass coat.

Alicia Keys closed the night, performing in a beaded dress with a regal train beneath the Galleria's glass dome. Roberto Bolle, the Italian ballet star, performed with dancers from La Scala's academy and presented Keys with a rose.

Milan is the last of the four major fashion capitals to host the event, which began in New York in 2022 and has since been held in London, Paris and Los Angeles. Proceeds from this edition will support a cultural centre for fashion, music and artistic talent at the Quarto Oggiaro Library in northwestern Milan.