By now we know that Dolce & Gabbana know how to throw a party and for their latest Alta Gioielleria, Sartoria and Moda shows, only a three-day celebration with breathtaking catwalks, fine-dining and incredible history would suffice. Hosted across three decadent and significant buildings and gardens, guests were invited to delve deeper than ever into the Baroque-inspired opulence that defines Dolce & Gabbana. Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria Beginning with their latest high jewellery collection, Alta Gioielleria, presented in the extraordinary Santa Maria Novella building which recently celebrated its 400th anniversary, Dolce & Gabbana debuted an extensive range of impeccable jewels that proved when it comes to accessorising, bigger is certainly better. With an air of unadulterated Italian Renaissance elegance, large-scale intricate floral motifs, dazzlingly vivid stones and royal iconography filled the lavish collection, which screamed quintessential Dolce & Gabbana splendour. Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria That evening, guests, who the designers aptly dub as their ‘queens’, were whisked away to the Palazzo Vechio for an exceptionally regal display of the Alta Sartoria collection, their menswear offering. Taking place in the Salone de Cinquento, a giant runway of rich tapestry was created crescendoing into a large-scale fleur-de-lis in the centre of the muralled hall. Only a collection of gargantuan grandeur could be worthy of a room filled with so much history and the show left no one disappointed. Looking to the Florentine Renaissance for inspiration, Dolce & Gabbana called on visionary artists such as Leonardo, Michelangelo and Botticelli to create a collection of deep and rich fabrics embellished with embroidered velvets, crystals and plenty of gold. Regal silhouettes, now synonymous with Dolce & Gabbana, were aplenty with silk robes, textured tailoring and fur collared coats but interestingly a new character came into play; a more common man with models donning peasant shirts, weaved leather and tunics, truly capturing the essence of the 15th and 16th century. Celebrations continued after the show and into the night with dinner and cocktails fit for a king at the palace. Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda The next day would be reserved for the Alta Moda show and the importance of the events taking place in Florence was abundantly clear, after all, it is where Italy’s answer to Couture was born in 1951. For the final show, nothing but a spectacle could be expected from the designers who by this point had proven this event meant serious fashion business. With panoramic views of the city, the gardens of Villa Bardini served as an astonishingly beautiful setting for the Couture show to take place with an ancient stone staircase acting as a catwalk surrounded by the magic of the local flora. The collection itself was breathtaking, the sheer volume of the gowns spoke volumes with layers and layers of tulle skirts decorated with Italian landscapes […]