For its 10-year Alta Moda anniversary, Dolce & Gabbana hosted an epic, larger-than-life show in a Sicilian piazza, featuring a dramatic re-enactment of a religious procession and an iconic FROW made up of Mariah Carey, Drew Barrymore, Helen Mirren, Sharon Stone and Heidi Klum. A hard act to follow, but Dolce & Gabbana are renowned for taking their shows to the next level every season, and today’s might just have been their most spectacular to date.

For the SS23 collection, designed in collaboration with Kim Kardashian, models wore a series of largely black, white and silver looks featuring signature lace, crystal and leopard print embellishments – as a black and white blown-up video of Kim Kardashian eating spaghetti played in the background. The show opened to the dramatic sounds of paparazzi camera clicks, screams of ‘We love you Kim!’ and light flashes, while Kris Jenner, Khloé Kardashian and North West provided family support from the front row.

Kim Kardashian’s fashion footprint was all over the collection, from distressed denim pieces, super-cinched corseted waists and body-con silhouettes, to stretch jersey materials, slouched coats and ‘KIM’ chokers adorning models’ necks. Multiple veils and the largely black colour palette were an apt reflection of the feeling of mourning that has defined this fashion season, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The black and white images mark the second time Kardashian has channeled Marilyn Monroe this year, following her Met Gala appearance in the late Hollywood starlet’s iconic ‘naked’ gown.

In the days preceding the Dolce & Gabbana SS23 show, Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner flew into Milan and shared photos of Kim-branded D&G merch including tinned tomatoes and t-shirts, as well as the Milan flagship store illuminated with the campaign.

Kim Kardashian made her first ever runway appearance earlier this year for the Balenciaga Haute Couture show in Paris, wearing a full-length back gown with a low back and over-the-knee boots – as her daughter, North, and mother Kris looked on from the front row.

Kim Kardashian herself didn’t walk as part of the main show, but appeared after the finale from behind a screen in a glittering black gown, alongside designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The three bowed together, elevating the star from celebrity attraction to full-blown designer status.