For many seasons now, Dolce and Gabbana have been mining images and iconography of antiquity from their native Italy, especially Sicily (see the Norman conquest of Sicily here, see 19th century Roman-Greco etchings here, see 18th and 19th century Roman Catholic religious iconography here, see late 19th century Sicilian village life here, and see a fantastic Italian opera-inspired collection here).
This time D&G have stretched pretty far for their Sicily history lesson... back to 1479 when Sicily was ruled by the Kings of Spain until roughly 1713 when Sicily came under the rule of the House of Savoy. But instead of manifesting Sicily under Spain from that period, D&G simply used Spanish motifs that are iconic, and dare I say it, bordering on clichéd: richly colored matador jackets with black soutache; tees, hoodies and sweatshirts emblazoned with bulls; suits with sumptuous brocade or images of carnations or scenes from Catholicism rendered in classic Spanish ceramic tiles; and garments featuring classic Flamenco polka dots. While the collection is well executed and stuck closely to the theme (the detail on each piece is stunning, and the cut of the suits, are, as usual, impeccable), it is almost as though D&G felt they would somehow be betraying their home country by looking elsewhere for inspiration. Unlike the Norman collection from last Fall-Winter which looked at how the Norman culture manifested itself in Sicily, they got to Spain through the backdoor. But really, who cares? It still works. It's an interesting collection, fun to look at, and fun to think about...
And the shoes were just as themed with black or red hair-on-hide slip-ons and sandals (hair like on a bull, get it?); sumptuous brocade, beaded, or crocodile slippers; and fun and funky street shoes like sneakers (trainers) and Van's (the ubiquitous "surfer" shoe) with braiding and soutache or satin!
http://www.dolcegabbana.com/
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