The Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2018 Alta Moda runway show was staged at the Metropolitan Opera House. At a late-morning press conference, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana recalled their first time at the Met. “It was Tosca sometime in the ’90s,” Gabbana remembered. “Tonight, we have a lot of memories.”

Naturally, the opera inspired the clothes they presented with the the collection was a high-low ode to New York. The Statue of Liberty was embroidered on the back pocket of camouflage army fatigues; photo prints of Times Square traffic decorated a silk pajama set; Old Glory was reproduced on many pieces; and “God Save America” was embroidered into the lantern sleeve of a mink coat. The collection also featured Broadway sequins and crystals and electric-colored feathers and fur.

And what a celebration it was. After Naomi Campbell took her show-closing spin, resplendent in a black satin bustier and Times Square ball skirt, there was a gold confetti finale, a fireworks display above Lincoln Center’s plaza fountain, and dinner on the Met’s monumental stage under the Franco Zeffirelli set for Puccini’s Turandot, with giant urns spilling over with roses, sweet peas, and weeping tulips.

Illuminating the city of New York in all its glory, go backstage at the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda fashion show.