A Decadent Masterpiece: Onboard the Iconic Dolce & Gabbana Superyacht

Extravagant and 100% Italian, the Regina d'Italia is like a floating art gallery or mansion. These days, she goes by the name of My Fair Lady, which hardly suits her. This vessel is and will always be the first Regina d'Italia built for Stefano Gabbana, who enjoyed it together with Domenico Dolce for more than a decade.

The two legendary fashion moguls inaugurated their spectacular pleasure craft in 2006. It was delivered by Codecasa, one of the most reputable Italian shipyards. If there's one thing to remember about the 51-meter (164 feet) yacht, it's the unprecedented mix of harsh minimalism with pure opulence. Disguised as a somewhat conventional luxury pleasure craft, the stunning Codecasa yacht revealed an exceptional display of decadent decorative items and deep customization.

The technical aspect of this superyacht is indeed conventional. Its hull and mechanical systems don't boast any of the innovative features of today's Dutch superyachts, for instance. The Codecasa in-house designers at the Viareggio shipyard shaped the future yacht. Franco and Anna Dellarole of Della Role Design, long-term collaborators of Codecasa, were in charge of the exterior styling.

The Rome-based Lazzarini Pickering Architetti created the fantasy world that is the yacht's interiors, obviously inspired by the iconic Dolce & Gabbana style. To give you an idea of just how opulent these interiors are, it would suffice to say that all the door handles and even the coat hangers are custom-made and can be literally considered tiny works of art.

Regina d'Italia dazzles with an unexpected contrast between the austere, sleek silver hull and the vibrant decadence onboard. This unique design was rightfully described as extravagance that's superimposed on a minimalistic foundation. If you took away all the custom-made furnishing and décor items, this would be a typical superyacht with a standard layout for the most part.

Mirrors, gold, animal print, and fur are the defining elements throughout. The incredible abundance of mirrors creates the illusion of vast spaces with no separation. Another ingenious hack contributes to this illusion: teak planking was used for all of the floors, both outside and inside.

Typically, superyachts use teak for the exterior. By using it everywhere, all separating lines are effectively blurred. The interior seems to flow from the exterior, while the converging lines of the planking seem to go on forever, turning room floors into fluid corridors.

Another sharp contrast is created between the cold aspect of the mirrors and the soft texture of multiple kinds of furs and skins. Astrakhan, mink, eel, and chinchilla are some of them. Gold items abound, complemented by animal print textiles, black fabrics, and exotic works of art.

In the main salon, an iconic Cartier jaguar sits on top of a cabinet covered in eel skin. An astrakhan-covered catwalk leads to a fabulous dining room with a massive dining table and antique chairs. Life-sized statues of men carrying giant bowls blend into the exotic decor, just like the two reclining panthers, also by Cartier.

Black walls and huge mirrors everywhere create a dark atmosphere of imperial elegance. Baroque items and antiques blend harmoniously with contemporary artwork. All of this is set against a minimalistic backdrop with sharp lines and classic layouts.

The master suite follows the same style direction. Full-size mirrors make it seem like it's entirely made of glass. Black velvet, light silk, and various types of fur are scattered all around. A huge golden throne replaces the typical armchair. Behind the overwhelming richness, the bedroom skillfully hides modern comfort amenities such as a huge walk-in wardrobe, a TV, and a control panel for the lights and entertainment system. Not one, but two identical bathrooms are covered in precious marble.

All four guest cabins are located on the lower deck, each inspired by an exotic animal. Each one is fitted with a matching door handle, shaped like an elephant, a rhinoceros, a crocodile, and a giraffe.

Like most superyachts, Regina d’Italia features a second salon, a large area for al-fresco dining, a gym, and a spacious sun deck. The only thing missing is a jacuzzi, and that's because Stefano himself refused to include one. It would probably shock most American yacht owners, but Stefano considered pools useless since he only wanted to swim in the ocean.

Still, he loved water sports like the rest of them, which is why his yacht came with a wide selection of toys, including a luxurious Castoldi tender and a giant inflatable waterslide.

Numerous other celebrities got to enjoy the goodies onboard Regina d'Italia. A few years ago, Kylie Minogue, a good friend of Stefano and Domenico, was spotted onboard. Most recently, after the yacht no longer belonged to the fashion moguls, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Scott got married onboard (they also chose Dolce & Gabbana to create the wedding dress and suit, so it was a perfect match).

Stefano Gabbana had purchased Regina d'Italia as a bare hull from Codecasa. It was outfitted in record time – just one year. More than a decade later, he would part it for considerably less than its estimated value. The price was slashed from €18 million to €13.5 million ($14.5 million) before finally selling at the end of 2019.

Currently renamed My Fair Lady, the original Regina d'Italia took a back seat. A new queen took its place. The current Regina d'Italia, also built by Codecasa, is bigger (65 meters/213 feet) and more mysterious. Delivered in the same year when the first one was sold, it's believed to be the new supertoy of Stefano and Domenico.

This summer, the superb five-decker turned heads while moored in Polignano in time for an upcoming D&G fashion show. This new-and-improved Queen of Italy is said to be worth $50 million, yet its interiors remain a mystery.