Dolce & Gabbana fall 2020 men’s

Well it's coat and sweater heaven at Dolce & Gabbana even for me who is not a great lover of outerwear but hell there are a whole lot of pieces I'd want to own and wear. They guys have used an extremely limited palette which has unified the collection to great effect.

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I believe this is also a collection that must be dissected due to the variety of volumes and silhouettes as well as various themes within the collection.

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It's everything from pinstripes slick to utility wear to downright sexy to quite a few OMG or WTF pieces which all adds up to a stellar collection. Being the clothes horse that I was, I recall owning fully knitted safari suits and coast sweaters and by god, I loved them even if some of it was a tad difficult to wear indoors. The cable knit coats and suits and jackets and floor-sweeping scarves are amazing even if it’s almost impossible to war them as shown. The toned-down styling and the huge absence of prints gave the collection a sophistication and polish that sometimes gets lost in past extravaganzas. Buried within was ONE wildly fabulous white shirt shown simply with grey pants that blew me away.

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So, yes, a little over the top in the knit department, a little over the top in the utility looks, a little over the top in the voluminous “wooly mammoth” coats but in the end a collection of beautiful clothes with a greater span of appeal than usual.

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Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2014 Milan Collections

Apparently the boys are on a crusade... well some sort of a medieval journey... or at least that’s the most apparent or surface aspect of the collection. As I have always said, these 2 never found a theme they couldn’t beat to death and this collection is no different except for one very salient point which is that there are many more wearable commercial pieces spliced into this season’s over the top presentation.

Amidst all the encrusted accessories and some of the ornately embroidered and decorated pieces there are dresses, suits and coats that are right there in your face... they are the core  DNA and vocabulary of this brand. Lace dresses, peplumed suits and slick coats that even border on minimal are all in attendance. Make no mistake that even with all the theatrics there is a romantic quality to the collection as well as some more relaxed shapes. What I saw as more distressing is that I want to compare it to Valentino and that annoys me but I think the comparison is inevitable.

The finale as well as the encrusted opulently decorated gloves, handbags, gauntlets and balaclavas defy imagination and I am sure defy price as well but that’s all part of the over top element of Dolce & Gabbana. What I found to be very interesting is the profound influence that their Alta Moda has had on this collection. To me, this is one of the best collections they have offered in quite some time. Apparently designers are receiving the same memo which reads... Sales!!! We need Sales!!!  

As an aside, Kering registered a 95% decline in sales ………..mmmmm whaddya think of that?? Gotta sell stuff to make money or just advertise and get editorial

Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2014 .. Milan Collections

What needs to addressed here immediately is the scope and breadth of the collection as well as the incredibly incredulous use of 21 century fabrications for Spring 2014.

Before the clothes, one must spout off all the immediate iconography that is used… from gladiator/centurion belts, to Roman coins, to the sights of Italy, the wildly beautiful delicate cherry blossom fabric with its many incarnations, the immediately recognizable DNA of the designing duo and lastly their determination to show what is distinctively theirs and build upon it season after season.

Furthermore there is the lace, the dots the shapes and overall image presented by the boys and now the influence of the haute couture throughout the entire collection.  Spring, for many years meant polka dots and navy blue and broderie d’anglaise, so the dots work for me big time.  Another facet of collection is how seamlessly the selection of patterns have been combined to offer such a cohesive look.  The overriding look of the Italian signora has become so much a part of the vocabulary of the collection and that one would find it odd, if that imagery was left out.

  

The days of the cheesy are gone and they have been replaced by a finely honed version and vision of what comprises Dole & Gabbana.  The inspirations are not really important as I have said so many times; the clothes speak for themselves and in the vast majority they say... WHOA!

The biggest deficit in the collection is the appearance of what is supposed to look like fur.  It is hardly attractive to my eye nor is it appealing in any of its realizations.  The collection would have benefitted greatly  by its absence but then again, I am willing to bet that most of it is optional and those unfortunate pieces that are totally made of it can be omitted without detriment.

The overall golden tone and some of the exquisite golden treatments are definitely from the Alta Moda and are equally compelling as some of the pieces from that collection.  The matter of texture comes into play with the golds and how they are rendered or achieved with amazing result.

Yes, it is thumbs up here! Not to be missed!!

Dolce & Gabbana Milan Collections Fall 2013

When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.
And in the hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be…….

The start of this spectacle, as show would be an understatement, was nothing short of jaw droppingly amazing and staggering.  The guys at Dolce& Gabbana have certainly honed their skills to an art form especially with their latest venture which happens to be alta moda or more commonly known as haute couture.

The opening mosaic pieces were beyond incredible, (heavily influence by Roman churches), not so much for the pieces themselves but the incredible craftsmanship, artisanal detail and abilities that each piece offered.  These are pieces that are usually saved for last but then again, this is Dolce & Gabbana and these guys don’t follow the flock.  While we are on the subject of being individualists, I would be hard pressed to recall any designer who so profusely and so literally referenced religion and churches as a theme device for a collection; maybe a piece here and there but never in such quantity. Talk about topical! And of the moment!

Tailoring is a star in this collection without question; it is part of what makes Dolce & Gabbana such a staple within the business of fashion.  I was particularly taken with the red segment of the show which I think showed off the skills of the design duo to their absolute best advantage, whether it be dresses or tailoring or just fashion… beautiful pieces shown simply and elegantly and a great repite from the black and white and mosaic themes.

Okay, I want to ignore the elephant in the room but I can’t as I must return to the heavily referenced religious mosaics as well the crosses and the liturgical references which were integral to the collection.  There are no designers of this caliber that would ever use such a controversial topic as the talking point of their latest collection and for that I tip my hat.  These two have built on empire on their talents and their skills and they have never been shy about their personal influences nor their heritage.

I believe that this is a collection that will resonate with the dyed in the wool Dolce client and for the rest of us, we need to take a step back and look at the pieces out of context from the presentation and evaluate them individually; the end result is that there is plenty to satisfy the 21st century fashionphile!