Fabric isn't usually the medium that comes to mind when I think of art, but a retrospective of the "Alta Moda" line by Dolce and Gabbana demonstrates that it can be used every bit as expressively as paint or marble.
"From the Heart to the Hands," an exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami gobsmacked me from the first sumptuous gallery with a mirrored ceiling. It celebrates centuries of Italian culture as much as luxury clothing. But inquiring minds want to know: who buys this stuff and where do they wear it?
I thought artisanship at this level had been relegated to the past. Whatever D&G pay their embroiderers, they should get a raise.
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| Firenze Collection, F/W 2020-21 |
The first gallery also showcases the self-portraiture of Anh Duong, a model and actress turned painter and perhaps muse.
She really gets into the over-the-top spirit of the show, imagining a picnic with the designers, lovers for two decades and business partners since the 1980s.
Duong even gives Liza--who turned 80 this month--a shout-out. She sang "New York, New York" when D&G staged their couture menswear fashion show at the Rainbow Room in 2018 (I loved that very underrated Martin Scorcese film).
But the clothes are the thing, of course. D&G started Alta Moda two years earlier and have organized their collections around places and events.
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| Milano Fiori Gollection, S/S 2014 (left); Venezia Collection, F/W 2021-22 |
Imagine wearing this mask and these platforms at Studio 54 back in the day!
One gallery on the first floor features outfits inspired by the works of Italian Renaissance artists including Botticelli ("The Annunciation").
Chris and I saw the original at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
We saw another inspiration, Giorgione's"Judith," when we visited the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. As if the ruffled collars and sleeves weren't statement enough, this shot cuts off the severed head at the gown's bottom.
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| Milano Rinascimento Collection S/S 2019 |
Bejeweled harnesess and sandals really class up the distressed jeans look.
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| Marzamemi Collection, F/W 2022-23 |
A faux Sicilian temple provided the backdrop for tunic and toga wear.
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| Sciacca Collection, F/W 2019-20 |
I couldn't decide if the Divine Mosaics gallery was gaudy or breathtaking. Maybe both.
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| Venezia San Marco Collection, F/W 2021-22 |
Is it wrong to admit this throne impressed me more than the Palo d'Oro?
In this upstairs gallery, you feel as if you've stepped into the 47-minute long ballroom scene--perhaps the longest ever committed to film--in The Leopard. Somehow, I've never gotten around to seeing Luchino Visconti's masterpiece starring Burt Lancaster about the fall of the aristocracy in Palermo during Italian unification in the 19th century.
I guess not everyone puts on their dancing shoes.
In this display, it's almost as if D&G was a house of worship
Colorful doesn't begin to describe the Sicilian gallery.
Even the backs of the platform heels are decorated
. . . and this purse is guaranteed to whet your appetite.
From what feels like the inside of a kaleidoscope you step into a white-out, an almost blinding juxtaposition.
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| Siracusa Collection, F/W 2022-23 |
There's nothing quite like cherub shoulder pads . . .
Crystals, mirrors and chandeliers dominate the next gallery.
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| Venezia San Marco Collection, F/W 2021-22 (left & center) & Marzamemi Collection, F/W 2022-23 (right) |
Divinely inspired garments introduce Alta Moda's Roma Collection from Fall/Winter 2025. Does sporting Saint Peter on your shirt ease your admission into heaven?
I doubt if actual papal vestments have anything on these.
The secular look is just as extravagant. The Eternal City looked nothing like this when I visited. Alta Moda is indeed fantasy for the very rich.
Another gallery re-created the designers' workshop.
We were finally nearing the end of the exhibit. The scale of it impressed me as much as anything.
I liked the Milano Opera Collection (Spring/Summer, 2020) best, probably because of my recent visit to La Scala. A specific opera inspired each dress.
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| La Traviata |
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| Madama Butterfly |
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| Il Barbiere di Siviglia |
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