BEAUTY: Clothing--Dolce and Gabbana

Domenico Dolce and Steffano Gabbana continue to mine the rich cultural, social, topographical, religious, and visual culture of Italy, and Sicily in particular. They have examined 18th and 19th century Italian family portraiture (seen here) and spun off the unlikely history lesson of the Norman conquest of Sicily in 1061 (seen here). They have meditated on 19th century etchings of Greco-Roman culture (seen here), explored Catholic iconography (seen here), and waxed rhapsodic about simple village life in Sicily in the early 20th century (seen here).

And just when one thinks Dolce and Gabbana may have run out of ideas, places, objects, or images to inspire a collection, it is delightful to see their Spring Summer '16 fantasia on the historic Palazzina Cinese, or Chinese Palace, in Palermo. Built in 1799 for King Frederick I at the height of European interest in all things Chinese, it is a three-story villa topped with pagoda-like spires full of Chinoiserie patterns, writings, and frescoes which are mixed with Italian designs and motifs (and that is really the essence of Chinoiserie: the "exotic" land of China interpreted through European eyes). So D&G created a collection of suits and separates portraying Chinoiserie pastoral scenes, branches with birds, and pagodas that look as if they were lifted straight from the walls of the Palace. And the effect is quite lovely, with Chinoiserie and Sicily sharing conceptual space. Some of the shapes of jackets are of an Asian nature and the pagodas and scroll work on the tops and trousers represent the Chinoiserie aspect, while the espadrille, that humble causal shoe of Mediterranean origin, comes embroidered with beads and sequins (a different design for each outfit) and represents the Sicilian aspect.

Each season, Dolce and Gabbana are quite prolific with their collections, with individual looks clocking in around the 70s. Compare this with other designers whose output is considered substantial if they create 30 or 40 looks. But this Spring Summer '16 collection comes in at a staggering 108 individual looks. There is FAR more than what I can show here...watch the full show in the clip below!

http://www.dolcegabbana.com/

And here are some images of the Chinese Palace itself...

Photo by Guglielmo Francavilla

Photo by Guglielmo Francavilla

Photo by Guglielmo Francavilla

Photo by Guglielmo Francavilla