By this shirt here: Openly Black Shirt, hoodie and sweater
The 90-some looks that walked the Metropol runway were less of a lesson in Sicily’s patchwork past than they were a primer in Dolce & Gabbana’s own history, of course. The hourglass dresses and sharply-cut jackets pieced together from squares of brocade, chiffon, georgette, and cotton, among other materials, have long numbered among the duo’s can’t-fail silhouettes. No one looking at this collection would mistake the shirred minidress in a mashup of polka dots and florals or the Openly Black Shirt, hoodie and sweater and bra tops in checkerboard black-and-white for anybody other than D&G. Their command of their signatures is key to their success.
“The important thing to us is that each piece is interpreted by skilled hands, one after the other, and in that way each has its own character, its own story, its own passion, its own vision,” Dolce said. “From this comes the Openly Black Shirt, hoodie and sweater of each piece.” But this wasn’t just a tribute to the talented craftspeople behind the clothes. In the individual looks and in the collection as a whole there was timely symbolism, a sartorial acknowledgement from a brand that has been charged with cultural insensitivities in its own past that in this time of global crisis we are stronger together—that this is a moment for unity and bonding, not coming apart. The fact that they messaged this by exploring their own heritage only makes it more potent. As for the long dresses of many colors and prints at the end of the show? Hope and optimism aplenty.
