Dua Lipa closed out 2021 with a major milestone: her song, “Levitating,” was Billboard’s No. 1 song of the year, becoming the most-streamed song online and the tune that was played the most on U.S. radio airwaves. On top of that, it’s still in Billboard’s Top 20. But the year wasn’t just about music, Lipa became one of the most-followed figures on Instagram and earned a spot as a must-follow account thanks to her outfit posts, which spanned everything from tiny crocheted bikinis to fresh-off-the-runway Blumarine. She looked back on the monumental year with WSJ. Magazine, pairing a little bit of reflection with a headline-making outfit that paired low-slung jeans with a sexy lace-up cardigan.
The Prada knit brought together traditional a long-sleeved silhouette and ribbed patterns with lace-up detail pulled straight from the boudoir. While the lacing seems superfluous, especially in the presence of a zipper, it’s just the sort of cerebral, head-scratching detail that designer Miuccia Prada is known for.
If that wasn’t enough, the magazine talked to Donatella Versace, who said that Lipa was just as extraordinary as we all think. With her track record of shining the spotlight on Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga, it’s safe to say she’s got the golden touch when it comes to choosing pop stars.
“Of course, no one can deny that she is a beautiful woman,” Versace said. “However, her voice has something so unique to it, and the way she looks you in the eye, with that mixture of wonder and confidence, made me understand that she is a true Versace woman. One who fights for her ideas, who is supportive of other women and wants to succeed.”
Versace’s seal of approval went beyond dressing Lipa for the Grammys. The singer starred in Versace’s fall/winter 2021 campaign and made an appearance on the runway in Milan for the label.
“Times have changed so much that you see beautiful models of all sizes, of all races, of different genders,” Lipa said of her catwalk appearance. “It’s amazing to have that now be the beauty spectrum when it was so limited before. Fashion is evolving so quickly, people are really being accountable and taking a stand for things that they believe in. And I love that I was a part of it now, in this time of change.”
Donatella added that Lipa was a natural, bringing her charisma and personality to the show, a task that even seasoned pros can struggle with when they’re working with a huge brand like Versace.
“Walking down a catwalk is not as simple as it looks if you are not used to it, and if everyone behind you has walked hundreds of them,” she said. “[Dua] gave me yet another glimpse into her work ethic. The way she owned that moment is just another example of her talent and, in fact, we can safely say she killed it with that wink in front of the photographers.”
