1998 Runway Documented Dolce & Gabbana Stromboli Butterfly Dress

This archival vintage dress was designed for Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring 1998 “Stromboli” collection - named after the Italian island beloved by the designers and emblematic of their sensual, Mediterranean aesthetic. Worn on the runway by supermodel Amber Valletta, the piece represents a pivotal moment in the brand’s evolution toward overtly romantic, body-conscious design. Crafted from a luxurious silk-cotton blend tulle, the ruched black tulle swirls around a pale caramel-hued corset base, cascading in a fluid, bias-cut silhouette that dramatises every movement of the wearer. The delicate spaghetti straps enhance the ethereal quality of the design, while the corset’s boned construction, mesh cloth and rear hook-and-eye closure nod to the brand’s signature “underwear-as-outerwear” aesthetic.

The gown’s most enchanting feature is the scattering of hand-placed silk butterflies that appear to flutter from the straps, tracing a delicate path down around the left side of the body. Each butterfly is meticulously crafted from silk with flexible wired wings in soft, chalky pink and grey tones, and a thread-wrapped body - ensuring that no two dresses are precisely alike. The final butterfly rests just above the fastening to the corset, where two slips of black tulle extend into a sheer, floor-length train that captures the collection’s theatrical, subtly gothic allure.

This now-iconic dress has enjoyed enduring fame beyond the runway. Pamela Anderson memorably wore it on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in July 1998, and more recently, Nicola Peltz-Beckham chose it for her wedding vow renewal in blue. Its continued relevance was reaffirmed when Dolce & Gabbana reissued the piece for Spring 2023 as part of the KIM DOLCE&GABBANA collection, in which Kim Kardashian curated her favorite archival designs from the house’s illustrious history.

This dress is in very good to excellent vintage condition, particularly for a piece of this delicacy. There is a tiny pin-prick sized hole in the mesh of the inside of the corset - not visible when worn. There is a small finger-nail size expert repair in the bottom of the train which can only be seen with the dress in hand. It is tailored from 70% Silk, 20% Cotton, 10% Lycra. Labelled an Italian size 42, this dress measures extremely small. Our model's sizes are: Bust: 34" (87cm), Waist 24" (61cm), Hips: 34.5" (88cm) and 5' 7" (170cm) and she's a size UK 6, US 2 - it fit her perfectly.

MEASUREMENTS

BUST - 28 in. (71 cm)

WAIST - 24 in. (61 cm)

HIP - 38 in. (97 cm)

LENGTH - 63 in. (160 cm)