“From the heart to the hand”: after the Palazzo Reale, the Milanese label invites itself under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, in Paris, for a journey to the heart of the world of the legendary duo.
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Paris, cradle of haute couture and luxury, today welcomes a rival power and celebrates Italian know-how.
The message, as the fashion historian says Florence Müllercurator of the exhibition, is clear: “Yes, the Italians know how to do it“.
The exhibition “From the Heart to the Hand”, which is held from January 10 to March 31, is more than a retrospective of the 40 years of the prestigious house Dolce & Gabbana: it is a tribute to the common and interconnected history of fashion itself.
“The history of sewing is global“, explains Ms. Müller. “Embroidery, lace, brocade existed long before Parisian couture, in Italy, India and elsewhere“.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana first crossed paths in a Milanese nightclub, just five years before launching their business. At the time, they both worked for fashion designer Giorgio Correggiari. After a few years of collaboration, they allowed themselves to dream.
In 1982, they left their employer to create an independent styling consultancy studio. In 1986, Dolce & Gabbana’s first collection met with immediate success.
Across 1,200 square meters of the newly renovated Grand Palais, the exhibition features more than 200 designs from the brand’s Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria collections, as well as 300 accessories and handcrafted objects, including Sicilian ceramics.
The exhibition event allows you to see and experience the crazy creativity of the emblematic couple, the baroque grandeur at the source of their inspiration, an unequivocal maximalism and without fear of embellishing reality.
Among the key pieces, a dress inspired by the glassworks of Murano, in Venice, is encrusted with glass mosaics from the Orsoni Venezia 1888 oven.
Since 1888, Orsoni has produced glass enamel and gold leaf tiles for the conservative restoration of the mosaic cycle of the domes and facade of St. Mark’s Basilica.
Florence Müller described the dress as “a textile sculpture, pure craftsmanship, elevated to the rank of art“.
Opera takes center stage. A black velvet gown softened by gold embellishment captures the lyrical tragedy of Bellini’s “Norma,” while a romantic blue gown for Verdi’s “La Traviata” flows like an aria, its layers of tulle whispering love and loss .
Brand icons such as Sophia Loren and Naomi Campbell are immortalized in giant paintings. Classical Italian opera and traditional Sicilian folk melodies provide the soundtrack to the different spaces.
But the “From the Heart to the Hand” exhibition is not just about finished pieces. Five real seamstresses from the Milanese Dolce & Gabbana workshop work on sitemanufacturing bodices, bustiers and corsets before the eyes of visitors.
“This seamstress sews lace to form a dress, while another drapes fabric by hand“, explains Ms. Müller. “It’s extraordinary. It’s not just fashion, it’s art“.
Sicily, the birthplace of Domenico Dolce, is at the heart of the collection. Traditional hand-painted Sicilian carts, ceramics and lace-making techniques are integrated into the couture. The exhibition also highlights the distant influences of fashion, often ignored.
“Luxury products and artisans traveled more than we think,” explains Ms. Müller. “The silk and brocades used at the Palace of Versailles came from India, and Italian artisans were hired to create the gallery of Ice cream… Fashion is made of constant exchanges and inspirations. This exhibition reveals what time has forgotten“.
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