It is one of the most popular Italian brands, celebrated for its bold creations and unique style. However, Dolce & Gabbana is also synonymous with true artisanal luxury, the kind that can still make us dream in an age where fashion is more and more industrialized. The highest celebration of this love affair with quality is the Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria events, a four-day extravaganza that takes place straight after the couture shows in July. Being faithful to the brand DNA, the runway shows for women and men’s couture, as well as jewelry for both segments, take place in an Italian city or region dear to the designers’ hearts. And so, this year, top clients and editors were invited to Sicily, the island where Domenico Dolce hails from.
The schedule kicked off with the high jewelry presentations, followed on the second day by a jaw-dropping womenswear show in Agrigento’s Temple of Concordia, an archeological landmark built 2 500 years ago. Every edition, the brand takes over the most spectacular historical venues in town, making substantial financial donations towards the preservation and restauration of these spaces.
The third day was dedicated to the gentleman, with a 135-look runway show taking place in mythical Sciacca. As we entered the first square atrium, we were instantly pulled inside an ancient Greek fantasy. Reproductions of statues of gods stood on carpets that covered the floor, and a group of dancers performed in togas.
Noah Mills. Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana
As top model Noah Mills – a Dolce & Gabbana favorite – entered the runway, also wearing a long tunic of Hellenic inspiration, there were no doubts left that Mount Olympus was, for one day only, a place on earth. “The myths of ancient Greece were the source of our inspiration for the Alta Sartoria garments we presented at Sciacca,” explained the designers. “Zeus, Apollo, Dionysius, Poseidon, and Ares, to cite just a few, have been portrayed, down the centuries, in fabulous masterpieces: in the multiplicity of those forms we have rediscovered uniqueness, just as in the representation of the real, we grasped the idea of beauty.”
Down the runway, silhouettes oscillated between more formal and relaxed. To dress to impress, heavily embroidered capes, long tunics, and kimonos, featuring torsos of statues or faces of gods, made an over-the-top statement. Tailors perfected formal suits with flamboyant motifs with the same obsession for balance and proportion the ancient Greeks pursued.
More casual looking, but no less chic, were the silk pajamas models wore, recreating the motifs of ancient pottery. For a more day-to-day look, high-waisted trousers were paired with gladiator sandals. All the looks were accessorized with crowns, small man bags, and occasionally shields and other replicas of war artifacts. While some of the full looks might end up having a costume-looking flair for real life, they have the potential to look magnificent if properly deconstructed and styled with other pieces that bring the designs into the modern world. One thing is for sure – one way or the other, you will end up looking, at a minimum, divine.
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