Dolce&Gabbana Fashion Show Milan Womenswear SS2016

How many times can you reinvent Italy? And how many times can you redefine Italian elegance and bravoure? As many times as you like, if you ask Dolce&Gabbana. The show was obviously about their home country, their roots. They’ve been working with this feeling of nostalgia for years now, creating the Italian myth. The main question this time: how do people outside Italy see Italy? To answer this, we traveled around Italy. Starting in the 1940’s, its post-war period. The models strutted down the catwalk in the most romantic, feminine and typical Italian creations. Fifties sundress silhouettes, appliquéd flowers in every colour, corset tops, cocktail dresses, silken striped caftans, short bouncy skirts, Peruvian pom-poms, all highly decorated, embellished and embroidered with classic Italian emblems and symbols, like the tower of Pisa and Michelangelo’s David. And how fun are those dresses with vintage postcard print and handwritten letters from Capri, Palermo or Lago di Como. We couldn’t think of a better postcard to send home.

However, they haven’t lost touch with the here and now, and that’s when the most loved and hated Selfie came in. Models pretended to be tourists, making selfies while walking through cozy Italian streets and venues. The festive images immediately popped up on screens flanking the catwalk. Needless to say the #DGselfie, #ITALIAISLOVE or #dolcegabbana was on top of the social charts. And it was Italy that was on top of our minds for the rest of that day, because a great and fun collection it was. Like Dean Martin sings, “That’s Amore!”