Published
Sep 22, 2019
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Dolce & Gabbana’s Mogambo mode

Published
Sep 22, 2019

Dolce & Gabbana begin every single one of their shows with the soundtrack to Il Gattopardo, Visconti’s classic film on the Risorgimento, which translates as The Leopard in English.


Dolce & Gabbana - Spring-Summer 2020 - Womenswear - Milan - © PixelFormula


Their invite was even in leopard print this weekend, though the clothes referenced another era of optimism – 1950s African safaris. For this was very much Mogambo mode, with latter-day versions of Grace Kelly or Ava Gardner prowling the catwalk – also in leopard print.
 
All manner of big game huntresses appeared in dandy safari jackets, slim-line cargo pants, saucy military shorts topped with leopard-print chiffon blouses, and jaunty jumpsuits. All presented at a moment when the global community is rightly obsessed with the rapid disappearance of wildlife in Africa. 

Tiger-print trench coats and dusters followed, as did leopard-print clutches, tribal raffia corsets and over-the-top, hyper-sized animal-print silk dresses, featuring everything from cockatoos to giraffes.
 
Half way through, the boys brought the safari back to Sicily with their signature naughty widow little black dresses and sultry lingerie looks.
 


Dolce & Gabbana - Spring-Summer 2020 - Womenswear - Milan - © PixelFormula


For evening, zebra caftans and mega leaf print dresses as the soundtrack blasted out Welcome to the Jungle by Jamie Lewis.
 
The front row cheered at each look: from Monica Bellucci and Bianca Balti to Japanese-American actress Tina Tamashiro and reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump. 
 
The night before, Dolce & Gabbana managed to organize the most amusing cocktail of the season. The pair took over half a block of shopping Mecca, Via della Spiga, and laid out a 25-meter table groaning with the bounties of the earth. Giant parmesan wheels, vast bouquets of wild roses and delicious Sicilian wine. 
 
Sicilians pride themselves on being generous to people they care about, and the red wine the gents served, Fragore from the slopes of Mount Etna, was the best we’ve imbibed at any fashion event this year.


The store interior at Via della Spiga



Like many other designers in Milan, the duo seem to have returned fresh from vacation: not making enormous new strides in terms of creativity – but producing enticing stylish product.
 
This summer Domenico even made his traditional pilgrimage to Fatima – a 24-hour voyage to one of Christendom’s holiest shrines, where the Virgin Mary made multiple apparitions. However there was little virginal about this sensual and exact fashion statement, with its call for women’s empowerment and the right to look as alluring and sexy as one damned pleases.

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