For the next act, which revels in the energy of a sensual burlesque number, Lipa and Posocco opted for a red embroidered Valentino catsuit. (In previous shows she’s worn it in white and black.)
“I love that this show shows all sides of me,” Lipa says, reminiscing about some of her earlier stage looks. On her first tour—a tiny one!—she always reached for a suit jacket, bra, baggy pants, and sneakers. “This show takes me down memory lane.”
We then arrive at the club section. For the tour’s first leg, Lipa wore two skin-tight looks by the Attico to perform her banger “Physical.” For the UK stadium tour, she went for leathery Courrèges. Now it’s a black and gold studded Chanel bodysuit with hip-hugging chains, custom-made and inspired by a Christy Turlington look from its spring 1992 haute couture show. Shockingly, it weighs “around seven kilos,” or 15 pounds. “I’ll do anything for the fashion,” Lipa says. “Nothing shines brighter than that Chanel.”
Next is some candy pink Balenciaga and the aforementioned gargantuan faux fur coat. Said coat has appeared on tour in white, red, and electric blue, with a Union Jack-lining reveal for the British tour dates. “I’m trying to do my moves, and it’s so heavy…I’m like, fuck it, it doesn’t matter!” says Lipa resolutely. “It’s too much fun not to suffer a bit for it!”
“It’s given me really strong arms,” she adds. “Most of these outfits have added to my workout.”
The final look, however, is the showstopper: a glittering, gilded Schiaparelli corset with ribcage and mirror detailing that pulls details from the designer’s archive and Lipa’s Golden Globes gown. “Every time I wear it, I feel so lucky,” she says. “It’s such an incredible couture piece for the show, but it’s something I can do cartwheels in, basically.”
Lipa and her team have a tried-and-tested formula for making her ornate and complicated tour wardrobe work. “I’m completely naked when I’m doing my quick change,” she explains. “It’s a choreographed dance!”
“I’m glad it’s not part of my job,” says Posocco. “I have the vision, but that’s it!”
Hair, makeup, and all elements of glam follow the fashion rhythm: show hair is blown out, voluminous, and sexy. “The sweatier I get, it works well,” she says. Makeup, by Katie Jane Hughes, is disco-influenced, and always includes a shimmer on the lip.
Dancers, too, make up the picture, with coordinating colors and silhouettes. Dua pops, but they’re a vital part of the show aesthetic. “We want everyone to feel good, so everything gets altered and fixed and changed until every single person feels confident…your performance then is easy,” she affirms.
We leave Dua Lipa in her first look, skipping off in golden JPG to start up the evening with “Training Season.”