A peek inside Dolce & Gabbana's glamorous Alta Moda show in Milan

There has been plenty of movement at Dolce & Gabbana in recent years. There was the folding up of their lucrative D&G diffusion line in 2011, the debut of their Alta Moda couture collection a year later, and a tax controversy that the design duo were cleared of last year. Things are never boring in the Dolce & Gabbana camp.

The latest development is joining the world of ultra-luxurious couture - a smart move for the label, with independent, destination shows outside fashion week schedules garnering a faithful, well-heeled clientele who adore their extravagant, romantic aesthetic. This season they even launched Alta Sartoria, a men's couture line.

The spring-summer Alta Moda show was held in Milan's La Scala Theatre, a historic temple of dance and opera - a first for the theatre, too. The audience comprised selected VIPs, clients and a handful of journalists. While the dress code was black - sober 1960s elegance à la Jackie Onassis - faithful Dolce clients couldn't resist the urge to go full out.

Women wore long ball gowns in bright island hues and body-con mini-dresses, and sported big hair and glossy lips with precious jewels draped around necks and dripping off earlobes. What recession, you might ask, in the midst of all this unapologetic extravagance.

Mexican-born Deborah Hung, Dolce & Gabbana fan and one of Hong Kong's most high-profile couture collectors, has been a regular at the Alta Moda events since the very beginning.

"Every Alta Moda is a surprise," she says after the show, "and they make it so grand. I think you always expect a nice experience, not just a show."