A taste of Italy at Dolce & Gabbana’s boutique launch party in Dubai

Anna Dello Russo dances on the table at D&G’s replica pizzeria in Dubai. Courtesy D&G

It was an evening of a type Dubai had never seen before. Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana marked the official opening of their flagship store in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates with a spectacular Italian celebration on Monday night.

The amphitheatre of The One and Only Royal Mirage was transformed into a Neapolitan marketplace, including a vibrant fruit-and-vegetable stand that served as the perfect selfie backdrop for many among the 400-strong crowd.

Other VIP clients danced to classic hits from the 1950s and nibbled on Italian olives and al forno pizza laid out on red-and-white checkered tablecloths around the venue.

The designers – who had hosted a private dinner at the site from 8.30pm – made a fashionably late entrance to their party at about 11pm. First to emerge was a tuxedo-clad Dolce, who posed playfully for endless photos with ladies wearing classic, black-lace cocktail dresses and banana-leaf print gowns from D&G’s latest collection.

All eyes then turned to the central stage where Vogue Japan's editor-at-large Anna Dello Russo appeared dancing to That's Amore by Dean Martin.

To the delight of the crowd, the long-term friend and muse of the designers was soon joined by a rolling-pin wielding Gabbana, who was wearing a towering wig of white curls. The pair pretended to make pizzas in the rustic recreation of a restaurant called Trattori-Anna.

Fistfuls of flour drifted like snow over the heads of revellers – swiftly followed by showers of confetti – as the party continued into the small hours.