What does a bride wear at the most talked about wedding of the year?

Dolly Parton famously once said, “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.” While many understand those words as a reclamation of glamour, they also speak to the fine line between taste and kitsch. That ethos was not just on display – it was dialed up and paraded down a Venetian canal at what is reported to be the US$50-plus million wedding of Lauren Sánchez and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Sánchez cycled through multiple wardrobe changes over the course of the multi-day event in Venice, where protestors attempted to keep the couple from tying the knot in their city. At the centre of it all was the dress: a dramatically cinched Dolce & Gabbana gown with a tulle-and-lace veil, reportedly inspired by the one worn by Italian screen icon Sophia Loren in the 1958 film Houseboat, according to a Vogue exclusive. It was adorned with 180 silk chiffon–covered priest buttons – a detail that screamed opulence and sacrament in equal measure.

The spectacle brought director John Waters, the man behind kitsch flick Hairspray, to mind. He built a career documenting America’s most proudly delusional misfits, and this wedding had all the makings of a camp classic. Bezos and Sánchez didn’t just get married – they staged a multiplatform soap opera with a Pixar-sized budget rivaling the GDP of a small country.

For the main event, Sánchez tapped Dolce & Gabbana to create her bridal look (she wore Cirque du Soleil-worthy Schiaparelli couture number to the welcome party), which was also an ode to Loren.

The old Hollywood reference was definitely a strange serve, as Loren, an emblem of retro elegance, never needed drones or pageantry to radiate beauty. In fact, she once told me, during a 2012 interview for FASHION magazine, “Your clothes are highly personal and your choices tell people who you are. Having someone dictate your look can be like surrendering your identity.”

That couldn’t be further from what unfolded in Venice. Mirroring Loren – right down to the glamazon styling and vintage-revival silhouettes – felt less like tribute and more like cosplay at best. Instead, Sánchez filtered herself through a “1950s Italian screen siren” lens that seemed more AI than IRL.

In choosing Dolce & Gabbana, Sánchez was aligning herself with a brand that revels in controversy. In 2012, they sent white models down the runway wearing earrings inspired by colonial “Blackamoor” figures. In 2015, Domenico Dolce gave an interview to Panorama stating he opposed gay couples having children. Elton John called for a boycott in response. Those are only two of many headlines.

In this context, Sánchez’s choice makes perfect sense. She’s a figure who seems to be courting tabloid and digital distraction, and Dolce & Gabbana’s usual aesthetic – corsets, cathedral veils, leopard print, sequins stacked like a Fabergé egg – matches her appetite for visibility.

Still, not every element of the wedding was gaudy. As Veronica Di Santo of Canada’s luxury bridal house Ines Di Santo explains, the gown itself – despite being designed by a notoriously bombastic fashion duo – held a quiet kind of grace. “The corseted bustier and extreme trumpet skirt gave her a statuesque silhouette, while the delicate lace and long sleeves added a demure, iconic touch,” Di Santo notes. “It was structured and very feminine – an elegant balance. I loved that the body was so well defined and supported.”

While the setting and the fashion label may have screamed spectacle, the craftsmanship of the dress itself offered a contrast. “This is the kind of dress that shows intention,” she says. “Luxury isn’t about layering with the kitchen sink of fashion. It’s about precision. The inside of the gown was just as beautiful – the seaming, the boning, the lace – all exquisitely done.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date of the wedding, which occurred on June 27.