Parties You Will Never Get Into

World-venerated fashion designer Domenico Dolce turned half a century old on September 25, 2008. On his golden anniversary, he got his Midas touch out, not to make clothes, but to throw a celebration bespeaking a great era.

Hollywood and the fashion world’s brightest stars lent their wattage to the party, held in Milan, Italy. All roads in the city seemingly led to Club Prive, located beneath the plush Principe di Savoia hotel.

Designer Stefano Gabbana, the other half of the Dolce & Gabbana fashion empire, came in an antiquated carriage drawn by four horses. He was escorted by supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova.

Multimedia celebrity Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony arrived in a black carriage, while another carried burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. Actor Mathew McConaughey came aboard a Rolls Royce, with Camilla Alves in tow.

More than 200 dropped by to party with the designer. From fashion’s corridors of power came the likes of Anna dello Russo, the majestic fashion director-at-large of Vogue Nippon; Rachel Zoe, celebrity stylist; and Stefano Tonchi, New York Times fashion editor. There were models galore, too, as vintage as Marpessa Hennink and as contemporary as Lily Donaldson. British talent David Gandy was just one of the many male mannequins that night.

Italian-American actress Monica Bellucci of The Passion fame and Italy’s Olympic swimmer Paolo Bossini partied there, too. Artist Marco Perego and the dancer Emilie Fouilloux were also invited.

Italian pop singer Tiziano Ferro was also present, but the cachet for entertainer of the night went to Diana Ross. Hidden from the other guests in a mirror-filled room, the diva surprisingly emerged on stage and whipped the night’s overture, “I Will Survive,” to a tearful audience.

Guests garbed themselves in the best Dolce & Gabbana fashion.