If there’s one person you can count on to enliven fashion month, it’s Donatella Versace. The designer knows how to generate excitement for a collection and break the internet; as such, her runways often feature guest spots from entertainment’s biggest celebrities. After bringing Jennifer Lopez out to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her plunging green Grammys dress during the spring 2020 show, and after reuniting the supermodels in spring 2018, Versace set the bar for special guests high. But today, she unveiled another surprise. To kick off the spring 2022 show, Versace enlisted chart-topping singer Dua Lipa to strut out in the opening look. Dressed in a Sєxy power suit with strategic cutouts and the brand’s iconic safety pins, Lipa fit right in alongside Versace regulars like Gigi Hadid, Irina Shayk, and Precious Lee.
Lipa has long been a Versace loyalist. As the current face of the brand’s advertising, she’s been plastered on billboards wearing its La Greca logo—but she’s more than a spokesperson. Donatella’s designs make up a large portion of the looks that Lipa and her stylist Lorenzo Posocco select for her red carpet appearances.
The slinky fashions appeal to her, but so too does Versace’s focus on female empowerment and innovative design. “Getting to work so closely with Donatella and bonding over our shared love of fashion has been surreal,” Lipa shared back in June when the campaign images were revealed.
Of course, Lipa wasn’t the only star who made their way down the runway today. Casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro filled the lineup with familiar faces. Whether it was Lourdes Leon (stepping out in a liquid metal gown akin to the one her mother Madonna wore in Versace’s 1995 Steven Meisel helmed campaign) or Naomi Campbell (delighting in a H๏τ pink pantsuit), the show moved from strength to strength and gave Milan its buzziest moment yet.