DG Digital Shows: You can now buy Dolce & Gabbana straight off the runway

The Italian house's new digital shows are breathing new life into the see-now, buy-now model

One of Dolce & Gabbana's signature fabrics, lace, arrived as a corset topped jumpsuit at the DG Digital Show 'Power Pastel' women's collection. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Layered jackets at Dolce & Gabbana's DG Digital Show 'DNA' men's collection. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

The opening look of the men's 'DNA' collection saw a sharp coat teamed with a yellow Sicily bag. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

The new Dolce & Gabbana DG Digital Show lets customers buy pieces straight from the runway for the first time. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Lace was over layered onto menswear for the 'DNA' collection. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Blurring genders, men's tailoring is mixed with women's Sicily bags. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

The 'Power Pastel' collection for women was fresh and youthful, like this dress that left the bra strap on display. Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana

The men's collection saw high tailoring mixed with street style cargo pants. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Signature body hugging tailoring appeared as part of the Dolce & Gabbana DG Digital Show women's collection. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Gold brocade was cut into wide legged pants. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana florals arrived as a parade of flowing dresses. Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has released the second instalment of its digital fashion shows, allowing customers to buy ready-to-wear pieces straight off the catwalk.

A new concept for the brand, the DG Digital Shows platform allows the Italian design duo to reach a digital-first audience.

It also marks the return of the troubled see-now, buy-now model that fashion houses tried to adopt a few years ago. Then, it fell out of favour owing to the huge set-up costs and timetabling issues. Now, with the pandemic having already disrupted the normal fashion diary, it seems Dolce & Gabbana believe the approach is a better fit for the current times.

Debuting two new lines – one for men and one for women – the collections are now available to buy through the website and social media, allowing customers to snap up the new offerings in real time.

Presented as a traditional runway show – albeit in a digital format – the collections are worn by models, who demonstrate how the clothes move on the body. Like a true runway show, there is dynamic styling and pumping music, all setting the tone for the clothes.

The women’s collection is entitled Power Pastel and arrived worn by models sporting sherbet-hued hair.

The women’s collection is entitled Power Pastel and arrived worn by models sporting sherbet-hued hair.

Fresh, sassy and youthful, the collection still has all the signature elements of Dolce & Gabbana. There is lace but, rather than crafted in sultry black, is now imagined in pale pink or powder blue, cut into corset-topped jumpsuits and feather-trimmed mini dresses.

Rich gold brocade is cut into wide-legged trousers, pleated midi skirts and high-waisted city shorts, while chintzy florals arrive as side-tie skirts, bell-sleeved mini dresses and a parade of flowing, full-length gowns.

Even Dolce & Gabbana’s fabled tailoring makes an appearance in glossy shantung silk, crafted into gold and pale pink tuxedos, paired with T-shirts. Bags are worn across the body, and every look comes piled with costume jewellery in a way that feels lively and refreshing.

For the men, the DNA collection is equally engaging. The opening look is a sleek coat and cropped trousers, with intriguing ties at the knees, worn with a bright yellow Sicily bag slung over the top.

Riffing on its cutting expertise, an assortment of all-black looks sweep past, as jackets with double lapels, side-fastening shirts and immaculately tailored trousers, or even as sharp pinstripe jackets worn with cargo pants, tucked into high-top trainers.

Brocade enlivens two and three-piece suits, and even feminine lace makes an appearance, overlaid on a sweatshirt, with angels literally sitting on the shoulders.

Mixing street style with high fashion is a look that Dolce & Gabbana menswear has always nailed, and here it fuses Sicilian style with urbanwear as leather bomber jackets with intricate zip details, and loose tracksuit bottoms teamed with a lizard skin bag.

Oversized sweat suits come layered with multiple jackets or short sleeves, to better show off the sweatshirt worn underneath, while flowery prints are twisted and manipulated into modern camo patterning.

Dolce & Gabbana have long been attuned to their audience, plugged into its shifting needs and wants, and this collection is no different.

Aimed at a younger crowd, or at least a customer who doesn't want to wait three months to bag the latest pieces, this new platform feels lighter than the traditional runway offering.

Less of a performance than a normal catwalk show, this instead feels more dynamic and faster moving, while the use of men's and women's bags across both genders will delight today's more fluid consumer, who buys a piece because they love it, regardless of which gender it was originally presented for.