Dolce & Gabbana doubled down on a parti pris this season: Pajama dressing paraded down the catwalk in endless luxe variations. As we say in Italy, it was pigiami in tutte le salse—pajamas served in every imaginable sauce. And in Italian cuisine, we don’t skimp on the sauces.
In Italy, every man owns a pajama set—which doesn’t mean they eventually sleep in it. It’s part of the wardrobe as a symbol of decorum and good manners, passed down from childhood. Dolce and Gabbana dived deep into their ’90s archive, unearthed this time-honored staple, gave it a spirited shake-off, and reimagined it with panache.
But this was more than a déjà-vu, rather a clear, calculated statement on identity and creative conviction in a fashion landscape (and world) spinning with uncertainty, shifting trends, and relentless noise. “We need certainty,” the designers said. “Keeping our identity firm, knowing who we are, and not wavering among too many disparate directions is of essence. We wanted to stay in our territory.” And stay they did, with a booming soundtrack of Beethoven’s symphonies that felt as incongruous as it was cool. The message landed loud and fun: it was Dolce & Gabbana at their breeziest and softest.
All the pajamas were crafted not in silk, but in humble cotton to channel ease, and that spontaneous, just-rolled-out-of-bed vibe. Classic, loose striped drawstring pants and piped shirts in light-pastel hues came crinkled and rumpled, as if sleepwear had crash-landed into casual wear and hybridized with impeccable tailoring. Lounging beneath double-breasted blazers, parkas, slouchy cardigans, leather bombers, and even the occasional furry or leopard-print cover-up, the pajamas flip-flopped in terry-cloth slippers and Havaianas in a nod to supreme insouciance. And this being Dolce & Gabbana, the whole look was meticulously undone, and impossibly precise in its nonchalance.
“It’s an instinctive way of dressing we’re seeing in new generations,” the designers noted. “A kind of no-fashion fashion, a freestyle approach that sidesteps trends and fashionista posturing in favor of something more individual, more spontaneous.” Ever attuned to the pulse of the street, Dolce and Gabbana took that quite literally: for the finale, they sent all the models—clad in glittering, bejeweled and embroidered cotton pajamas—straight out of the venue and onto Viale Piave. The crowd, already buzzing from the celebrity sightings, shrieked in delight. Dolce and Gabbana may be in their PJs, but they’re wide awake and wired in—they definitely don’t rest on their laurels.