After 27 years in the business, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana launched their first ever couture collection. It has taken them 6 years to plan and 6 months to execute and produce this meticulously orchestrated presentation with an exclusive guest list of 200 people consisting of clients, celebrities and top Vogue fashion editors. The only three newspapers invited were The Daily Telegraph , Le Figaro and Corriere della Sera.
Tweeting and filming was not allowed, with the exception of approved newspaper photographers from the aforementioned three newspapers. The show took place in Taormina, a small town on the eastern coast of Sicily where the festivities went on for 4 days. The Italian duo wanted to immerse their guests totally in the culture, which began on Sunday at a Roman amphitheater with the opera “Norma” from Bellini’s Bel Canto and ended several days later with a party after the show where Domenico Dolce celebrated by dancing to Madonna.
73 looks went down the runway at the San Domenico Palace Hotel. Lace, embroidery and hand painted hydrangea were just some of the details seen in each garment. Franca Sozzani, Italian Vogue editor delighted over the “Lace and double satin tailleurs, embroideried dresses and simple sheaths, in addition to reddingotes and little lambskin coats and painted dresses.”
The baroque period was a major emphasis of the collection with bows accentuating empire waistlines as well as the natural waistline in pannier caged skirts that gave extra volume to the ball gowns. The collection, fit for an Italian princess was filled with veils and ball gowns made with layers upon layers of tulle. One dress, reminiscent of the Italian actress Claudia Cardinale in The Leopard and Visconti featured Sicilian lace, embroidery and applique jeweled.
Lace trimmed mid-calf dresses and floor length gowns came in gold, white, black and nude lace. Some racier numbers featured black undergarments along with matching bustiers worn under dresses such as a black tulle sheer dress with statement shoulders. A laser-cut technique was used on fabrics and later applied on tulle to create a lace-type pattern, as seen in a white dinner skirt suit and evening dress. The fabrics complimented the baroque elements seen in many of the pieces that mixed jewels and lace.
After the show, Domenico told The Daily Telegraph how the collection differed from their prêt-à-porter collections: “This is our style. It is not a trend, I do not care if it is cool. Prêt-à-porter is different, it is about cool and about how many covers you can get. Here, we are completely free. So for me this is not work, but pleasure.”
“A new chapter in the history of Italian fashion was written this past wednesday,” proclaimed Franca Sozzani of the Dolce Gabbana Couture collection. This is the image our country should be able to export.
