As Milan fashion week comes to a close we couldn’t help but notice a shift in Italian designers. Probably one of the most notable being Dolce and Gabbana in which an abundance of sweater layers in black and men’s tailoring ushered the show in. Naturally, there were elements we have become accustomed to as well in the collection.. the revealing see through fabrics, lingerie implications, gold accessories and floral appliques.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana finished Milan on a grace note, with a celebration of the artisans they depend upon to make so many of their clothes. Black-and-white videos of il calzolaio (the shoemaker), la sarta (the seamstress), la magliaia (the knitter), la tessitrice (the weaver), la cravattaia (the tie maker), and more played on video screens, and in the Metropol’s foyer artigiani sat at work benches and posed with guests. “It’s very Italian, like the menswear,” Gabbana said of the collection in a preview. “It’s a tribute through our eyes to tradition.” The designers described sending out their sketches to home knitters and crocheters all over Italy and being stunned by the finesse with which their designs were realized. Pointing to the curving waist and hips of a crochet bra and briefs, Dolce said, “It’s not like cutting fabric with scissors.” He continued: “This was a beautiful experiment for the whole company, these knitters were teaching us.”