In Italy, Dua Lipa Proved That Lingerie as Couture Belongs in the Archive — Not the Trend Cycle
Some looks ask to be read. Dua Lipa’s appearance at the Bulgari Eclettica High Jewelry showcase in Bollate, Italy on March 23rd demands to be studied — slowly, layer by layer — because each element is so precisely chosen, so individually compelling, that it would be a disservice to any one of them to rush past the others.
Styled by Lorenzo Posocco, Lipa wore a custom black velvet Balmain gown from the house’s Fall 2026 runway — a figure-hugging, long-sleeved column with a plunging V-neckline that descended almost to the navel. The bodice was wrapped in a robe-like construction, its rounded neckline left deliberately loose, with intention. That apparent casualness was, of course, entirely calculated.
Beneath the velvet: a purple satin bra, its silky slip knot positioned to catch every camera lens. Per the French maison, the lingerie detail was drawn from an original circa-1946 Haute Couture piece by Pierre Balmain himself — a provenance that places this look emphatically outside the current wave of naked dressing and squarely within the house’s own storied archive. The distinction matters. Similar peekaboo iterations ran throughout Balmain’s latest runway, several draped in the same moody, luscious velvet, each bra earning its own close-up beneath barely-fastened gowns.
The skirt fell with a bow-tied slit from which black sheer tights and pointed pumps emerged — a finishing gesture as polished as everything above it. But to speak of the dress without addressing its companion would be a studied omission.
The Bulgari Eclettica necklace — the event’s jewellery centrepiece, and justifiably so — encrusted in white diamonds and emeralds, presented the house’s signature Serpenti motif: two snake heads converging at the centre, where a substantial emerald sat like an audience. Coordinating chandelier earrings and a silver statement ring completed the jewellery architecture, each piece from the same Eclettica collection, which debuted over 650 new creations spanning high jewellery, watches, bags, and fragrance — inspired, per the house, by sculpture, painting, and architecture.
Lipa’s makeup was immaculate: defined lashes, blush-dusted cheekbones, and a brown lip that kept warmth in a look that might otherwise have read as cool. Her long, raven hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders — the one element that required no engineering at all, and was perhaps the most effective of everything she wore.
