Dolce & Gabbana say long live maximalism at Milan Fashion Week

Who knows what the world will look like next spring, but at Dolce and Gabbana, the hope is that we’ll be partying like it’s 1993. That was when the designers last created a patchwork collection, at the zenith of the supermodel era when Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford and more were sprinkling their super-stardust on fashion.

There’s a whole Pinterest rabbit hole to dive into from that moment; Cindy transformed into a boho gypsy via a black corset and patchwork maxi skirt shot with gold thread and trimmed with fringing. Helena did an acid floral trouser suit complete with giant rose choker.

Supermodels might be in short supply right now, but Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s reimagining of their previous patchwork foray came with all the same upbeat maximalism, reinterpreted for today’s fractious world.

‘That was more a ‘70s approach,’ explained Dolce in a video filmed before the show for journalists who couldn’t travel to watch in person. ‘This instead is a cultural approach, putting together various types of cultures that we just talked about to create, to make each garment become truly one of a kind.’

There’s so much that’s apposite about patchwork - a trend which has already filtered into many high street autumn collections - now. It feels comforting, nostalgic and crafty and there must be something, too, in how a hotchpotch, make do and mend technique can turn into something quite beautiful at times of crisis.

This is partly what Dolce and Gabbana were thinking about. ‘Yes, not throwing away the last thing. You might have old trousers, sweaters, shirts, and you can recreate from other things something new that is yours,’ said Dolce. ‘But the thing that’s important to us is that each piece is interpreted by skilled hands, one after the other, in a way that each piece has its own character, its own story, its own passion, its own vision.’

In the rarefied world of D&G, patchwork is, in reality, less about DIY, more an appreciation of fatto a mano and the craftsmanship which is still poured into these collections of almost 100 looks. Just think of all the jobs they must be supporting. Though if you want to #GetTheLook, you could do it via dusting off your sewing machine as readily as scouring Zara.

Perhaps surprisingly for a house which has been accused of cultural insensitivity in the past, patchwork as a symbol of multiculturalism was also on their mind.‘Given our long experience designing and being inspired by Sicily, we wanted to tell of all that you can find on an island like this, the different cultures that dominated it, from the Spanish to the Arabs, from the Normans to the French,’ explained Dolce, who is from Polizzi Generosa, near Palermo. ‘An important thing is that Italy has never colonised a country, but other countries have tried to colonise it. So, we've treasured everything that they have brought to us.’

Dolce and Gabbana were hedging their bets on whether we’ll be partying and jetsetting (their core clientele probably haven’t stopped, even if it’s not quite so high octane as before) or doing GFH (Glam From Home) next summer - they’ve been doing a healthy trade in couture pyjamas during lockdown.

If it’s the former, you might opt for a tailored wiggle dress in tessellations of brocade and floral silks or the recreation of the harlequin ballgown skirt from ‘93, this time more sleek superyacht than hippie rebel. For the latter, there were capacious Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat robes and laze-luxe kaftans.

The outlook might be uncertain, but we’ll always have Dolce and Gabbana - even if the designers did have to wear patchwork silk masks to take their bows.

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