Dolce & Gabbana: Pajama party on Viale Piave

The thing about Dolce & Gabbana is that when they like an idea, they really get their teeth into it—like this Saturday, when they staged the greatest pajama party in fashion history.

Stripes, stripes and more stripes, leading to a finale where two score of hirsute male models marched out in pajama pants, blazers, shorts and suits—all maxi decorated with crystal, jet and strass.

“Light, light, everything just light. Welcome to summer!” enthused Stefano Gabbana backstage after a show staged on the day of the summer solstice.

Presented in their show space on Viale Piave, the set featured an all-white proscenium—the better to highlight the pajamas. The mood juxtaposed with the dramatic soundtrack—a mashup of Ludwig van Beethoven’s greatest hits, all the way to death knocking on the door symbolically in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

With White Lotus star Theo James and Emily in Paris heartthrob Lucien Laviscount sitting front row, the show kicked off.

Starting with some great crinkly suits—pajama stripes piped and cut into massively wide pants, cool jammies and loose jackets. Low-slung pants—the better to see big yellow and green boxers underneath. Made in a palette of pink, baby blue, café au lait—they all exuded optimism. Looks destined for a beachside dance or cocktail hour and not the bedroom.

Gradually, the duo injected more tailoring—with wide-lapel chalk-stripe gangster jackets paired with polka dot shirts and graphic ties. When the evening turned chilly, they proposed all manner of animal print looks: from tiger print dressing gowns in faux fur to cheetah pony skin dusters.

Leading to the pajama party finale, when the entire cast marched out of the show space and along Viale Piave to immense cheers from a couple of thousand fans outside.

The show comes at a pivotal moment for the house, which recently tapped into €150 million in financing to bankroll investment in beauty and real estate. And, one couldn’t help noticing, Dolce & Gabbana show invitations arriving in Milan hotels this week came with a bottle of their latest cologne.