<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p>\nIn fact, it\u2019s hard to think of designers of any nationality that have so single-mindedly dissected, pastiched and reinvented the sartorial mores of a nation. Or have been so successful in doing so. The company\u2019s annual turnover now stands at more than \u20ac1 billion, thanks to more than 116 Dolce & Gabbana stores that are dotted in stylish locations around the planet, not to mention diffusion line D&G.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s the secret? To put it simply: sex appeal, combined with a heartfelt devotion to the impeccably chic heroines of Italian cinematic history (particularly Visconti\u2019s girls) and an ongoing obsession with the simple, old-fashioned lifestyle of rural Sicily. Much of Dolce & Gabbana\u2019s work plays flirtatiously with traditional Italian values: Roman Catholic rosary beads become chic necklaces, classic black cocktail dresses are sassed up with sheer lace panels, impeccable black tailoring is worn over bare chests.<\/p>\n
Italian movie star Isabella Rosselini summed this up powerfully back in 1995, in the introduction to the brand\u2019s book 10 Years of Dolce & Gabbana<\/em>, describing her first Dolce piece \u2013 a \u201cchaste\u201d white shirt \u201cpurposefully cut to make my breasts look as if they would burst out of it.” \u201cIt was Domenico [Dolce] and Stefano [Gabbana] underlining and revealing a very Italian way of seduction,\u201d she continues, \u201cthe inexplicit message of the women that states, \u2018No matter how hard we try, our bodies are so voluptuous they cannot be contained in any clothes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\nSo, pretty racy stuff, then. And a fine demonstration of this kind of innocent come-on came in Dolce & Gabbana\u2019s collection for spring 2011, inspired by the traditional wedding trousseau of a Sicilian bride. The predominantly white silhouettes, some made of homely textiles such as bed linen, towels, and tablecloths, could hardly seem more pure, more simple. But the flirtatious undercurrent is always there, manifest in this collection in the flashes of leopard print, sensual sheer laces and n\u00e9glig\u00e9-like hemlines. <\/p>\n
Is your Dolce & Gabbana girl this spring a blushing virgin or more \u201cLike a Virgin\u201d?<\/strong> \nStefano Gabbana:<\/strong> More \u201cLike a Virgin\u201d\u2026! Joking aside, our starting point for this collection was the contents of the traditional hope chest, that brides used to receive to take away with them on the day of their wedding\u2026 There is definitely an appeal to purity and innocence, because the collection is basically all white. But at the same time it\u2019s still very sensual and ultra-feminine. <\/p>\nWho would be her ideal husband?<\/strong> \nDomenico Dolce:<\/strong> A virile, confident man; in other words, the Dolce & Gabbana man, the one we have always designed for..<\/p>\nAnd what would be your fatherly advice to her before giving her away?<\/strong> \nSG:<\/strong> No advice; today\u2019s women know what they want, and they are very strong, at times even more so than men. The extremely feminine image is not an indication of fragility and it does not exclude a determined personality; it\u2019s simply a way of being.<\/p>\nYou\u2019ve said this collection is about taking it easy \u2013 do you think living has become more complicated since you launched Dolce & Gabbana 25 years ago?<\/strong> \nSG:<\/strong> It definitely isn\u2019t like it was 25 years ago; everything happens at a much faster, frenetic pace. There are so many things to do that the time we have at our disposal is never sufficient. Our [designs in the] past few seasons have, therefore, been about relaxing and taking it easy. \nDD:<\/strong> This can be seen in the way we present our fashion shows. We are transforming them into personal, almost intimate moments. We want to take all the necessary time to enjoy things.\u201d <\/p>\nWith this predominantly white collection do you feel you have wiped the slate clean? What\u2019s next?<\/strong> \nSG:<\/strong> Actually, for us the past is very important. The last thing we want to do is forget it. We created the last collections with three themes: Sicily, tailoring and tradition \u2026 \nDD:<\/strong> As we have often said in these past months, it\u2019s not about nostalgia or about recreating the same things, on the contrary. We have revisited traditions and our heritage with today\u2019s eyes and experience; we worked from our memories and not from the archives, whilst thanks to technology we revisited shapes and materials. But the atmosphere of these collections is reminiscent of our first collections.<\/p>\nAre the simple things in life the best?<\/strong> \nSG:<\/strong> It sounds like a clich\u00e9, but yes. Ultimately, the things that count are the same for everyone: family, friends, and seeing your work appreciated.<\/p>\nDescribe each other in one word.<\/strong> \nSG:<\/strong> Wow, that\u2019s difficult \u2026 .if I had to pick just one adjective to describe Domenico I would say thoughtful. \nDD: <\/strong>\u2026 and for Stefano, instinctive.<\/p>\nPhotography: Grant Thomas \nFashion: Anthony Unwin \nWords: Adam Welch<\/p>\n
This Article first appeared in <\/em>Wonderland #25, February\/March 2011<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No one does Italian chic like Dolce & Gabbana. For the past 25 years the legendary design duo have explored the style of their home country with such depth, innovation and humour that they\u2019ve almost come to define it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9418],"tags":[261,90,93,100,377,378,50,92],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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