Dolce & Gabbana runway in Venice hit by freak hailstorm, guests evacuated
- 02 Sep 2021
Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana returned to a catwalk with a live audience in Venice this weekend to show its latest couture collection, but the audience was left scrambling when a heavy hailstorm occurred.
On Monday, 30 August, celebrity guests including Helen Mirren, Kourtney Kardashian and Doja Cat gathered at St Mark’s Square as the designers presented their latest Alta Sartoria collection.
As swathes of models walked down the lengthy runway dressed in brightly coloured sequin-embellished suits, embroidered capes and avant-garde dresses, the weather took a turn for the worse as hail began to dampen everyone in attendance.
One video, posted to Instagram by a fashion blogging account, @diet_prada, showed guests ducking for cover under umbrellas and jackets as the storm ensued.
Some could be heard screaming “ow” and “sh*t” as the hail came down. In the background, models taking part in the 110-look show continued walking despite the bad weather.
According to Vogue, Dolce & Gabbana had anticipated the bad weather. The show was supposed to kick off at 7pm but was moved forward by an hour in an attempt to avoid disruption.
In a livestream event, which was posted to Dolce & Gabbana’s YouTube channel, the house’s designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are seen walking down the runway as the show closed.
At one point, they are seen ducking and shielding their heads with their hands to avoid getting wet.
By the end of the show, the audience looked visibly emptier as many of the attendees had ducked for cover.
Among those in attendance was Dame Helen Mirren. The British actor arrived wearing a couture Dolce & Gabbana gown. The dress feature a gold bodice and embellished bodice, with an extravagant layered skirt covered in a Renaissance-inspired artwork.
She documented the evening – and the adverse weather – on her Instagram, describing it as a “strange and wonderful dream”.
“I had a strange and wonderful dream last night. I dreamt I was in Piazza San Marco in Venice, dressed like a member of the Contarini Family, and before me appeared many beautiful goddesses dressed in heavenly clothes, as a rainbow and lightning appeared and thunder rolled, and as the vision disappeared a beautiful rain began to fall and then the following happened!” she wrote alongside a picture of herself in the ensemble.