Stravaganza Siciliana is the name Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana gave their spring collection. It’s a rejection of the homogeneity they see on the internet and on the streets. Basta with the matching tank tops and cutoff jeans, ladies—at least that’s what I think when I stroll through SoHo. Dolce, for his part, said, “I think today all the world is too much the same. In Palermo,” he went on, “there are a lot of incredible aristocratic families, these families have beautiful clothes, and we love the idea of the granddaughter going into the family wardrobe and finding clothes from the ’20s, from the ’50s, from the ’70s, and mixing everything instinctively.”
Dolce and Gabbana rarely waver in their commitment to their DNA, but every once in a while they do a collection that’s like a shot of youth serum. This was one of those times, and it was one of their liveliest shows in recent memory: loose and roaming and diverse in both silhouette and spirit.
The magic was in the mix. A hand-tatted white crocheted skirt was subverted by a black lace bra; chunky tweeds found unlikely partners in Grandmama’s delicate linen trousseau; a coral-encrusted jacket came with not much more than tap pants; and a fur-edged dévoré silk robe reminiscent of Paul Poiret was jolted to 21st-century life by oversized boyfriend jeans. Naturally, the designers tapped their own archives too: The D&G logo tee worn with a fancy tweed jacket and a leopard chiffon skirt was a wink to clients who often tell them how they spent their youth in the long-lamented shuttered diffusion brand. Yes, the 2000s count as vintage now.
This turn toward the client, toward real-life clothes, has become the big storyline of the Milan season—a refreshing development, even if it’s the result of pressure on brands to sell and keep on selling. If there’s one objection, it’s that today’s show began with a long preamble explaining the designers’ concept. It spoiled a bit of the surprise of the collection, which is typically part of the pleasure as a show unfolds. Considering that it is individuality being celebrated, individuals can be trusted to figure it out.