Dua Lipa’s Opera Dress Recreates a Y2K Haute Couture Stunner

A Dua Lipa concert usually calls for big production and teeny leotards. But not last night—the singer glammed up her usual concert style (and the production of her pop bangers, too) during a meaningful performance at The Royal Albert Hall in her hometown of London.

Dua, flanked by a full choir and orchestra, kicked off her evening Marilyn-style in a scarlet red corset gown. The piece, paired with opera gloves and a floor-length cape, hugged the singer’s waist before ballooning into a dramatic maxi skirt.

The piece was both vintage from the archives (in a way) and yet totally custom. Lipa’s stylist Jahleel Weaver managed to get the house of Jean Paul Gaultier to recreate a dress from the spring 2001 couture collection in a brand new all-red colorway.

This more refined, gala-style dress is typically more in line with Dua’s red carpet fashion than her recent stage looks. Take her performance at Glastonbury this summer, for instance. The singer wore almost exclusively silk mini dresses, leather boots, and teensy hot pants on stage—all a far cry away from this high-glam moment.

Dua later switched into a dramatic monochrome gown that was equally as elegant as her all-red one. The dress featured an ab-baring bodice and a princess skirt designed with layers upon layers of tulle.

Dua added a feathered neck detail to her dress once on stage where, at one point, she was joined by Elton John for a performance of their duet, “Cold Heart.”

It isn’t exactly surprising Dua opted to tone down her concert style to take The Royal Albert Hall stage. The historic venue, opened by Queen Victoria in the 19th century, usually draws a more buttoned-up crowd compared to your typical pop concert. Dua later spoke about the performance in a note shared to social media.

“Last night I performed in my hometown, London at The Royal Albert Hall,” the singer wrote. “Standing in the middle of that room, standing on the shoulders of giants who have performed there before me, the energy of last night will forever be engrained in my heart.”

She continued, “This has been something that i've been dreaming of putting together for so many years. I’ve always had the urge to reimagine my songs with an orchestral arrangement. I was spoilt with the best seat in the house. A 53 piece orchestra, a 14 person choir, a 7 person band and me in the middle of it all. An unbelievable night, i'm still pinching myself. Thank you to my team on stage and off for working so tirelessly around the clock.”