Vogue right this moment has no soul. Let’s simply get that out of the way in which. For those who want proof, look no additional than Kim Kardashian’s youngsters stomping round in Zara denim. We’ve gone from hand-stitched Sicilian class to quick style chaos. However not all is misplaced. Within the sweltering coronary heart of Rome, amid the 41-degree cobblestone catwalks of summer season, there’s a treasure chest of couture recollections conserving Italy’s golden thread alive. From the Coronary heart to the Fingers: Dolce & Gabbana at Palazzo delle Esposizioni is a love letter to style’s forgotten language.
Rising up in a world the place weddings hosted over 1500 company was the norm, I do know what actual style seems to be like. I used to be raised on lace veils, gold threading, hand-beaded bustiers, and cathedral-length drama. High fashion wasn’t a development—it was our cultural foreign money. My pricey pal Nonna Donata, now 80, has an archive that may make style museums weep. Each piece, 100% made in Italy. Each sew, a declaration of delight. This Rome exhibit? It resurrected that delight in essentially the most luxurious approach possible.
Lauren Sánchez
Let’s speak about why Lauren Sánchez, the girl married to the richest man on earth, selected Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana to decorate her. Why? As a result of when cash’s no object, you need a costume that speaks in silk, not polyester. You need Murano glass in your earrings, not plastic pearls from Alibaba. You need a corset that sculpts like Bernini, not bruises like Spanx. Dolce & Gabbana are Italian artisans—not simply designers—who make ladies really feel like strolling icons.
The exhibit itself seems like coming into a Tuscan chapel devoted to style. Each room is curated like an opera set—drama, glamour, intimacy. From the primary look, I used to be spellbound. The menswear division took my breath away. Because the founding father of MenStyleFashion, I can let you know, this was not simply material and thread. It was artwork. Baroque fits dripping in gold embroidery, Sicilian black lace jackets that whispered mafia stylish, and tailoring so sharp it might slice air. Males right this moment are lastly being invited into the couture membership, and Dolce & Gabbana are main the cost.
Now, the pièce de résistance—the gold wedding ceremony costume.
This robe, so harking back to my mom’s wedding ceremony costume from her Puglia ceremony, actually stopped individuals of their tracks. It shimmered beneath the gallery lights like a Roman goddess bathed in Mediterranean solar. The bodice was a corset marvel, the skirt a waterfall of hand-embroidered desires. As I stood in entrance of it, I noticed individuals—younger, outdated, vacationers, Romans—laughing, smiling, gasping in awe. That’s what style ought to do. Evoke emotion. Ignite reminiscence. Encourage awe.
Corsetry
Corsetry was entrance and centre all through the exhibition. It’s no marvel Bezos’ bride regarded the very best she ever has in Venice. That Sofia Loren-inspired white lace costume? Pure D&G genius. Snatched waist, heart-shaped neckline, and a dramatic practice that fluttered like opera notes in a Baroque theatre. The tailoring mentioned, “I’m the billionaire bride. I don’t chase tendencies. I personal them.
” For this reason Dolce & Gabbana nonetheless reign relating to dressing ladies who wish to be unforgettable.
Murano Glass Gown
Let’s pause for the chandeliers. Sure, chandeliers as clothes. There have been Murano glass droplets cascading from robes like wearable palazzos. Cloth dyed to mirror sundown skies over Capri. Hand-applied beading so intricate, it made high fashion from Paris look mass-produced. These weren’t simply garments. They have been monuments to Italian craft. A Da Vinci portray draped on human type. A Mona Lisa you possibly can put on.
However what hit me most was the spirit within the room. Folks weren’t shuffling round silently, pretending to be cultured.
They have been wide-eyed, whispering, “Take a look at this,” laughing like youngsters in a sweet retailer.
Strangers have been speaking to one another, sharing their pleasure. In a world numbed by scrolling, this was a visceral expertise. Actual-time, actual magnificence, actual emotion.
In a time the place every part is digital, filtered, and AI-generated, From the Coronary heart to the Fingers reminds us that human contact issues. Each sew, each brushstroke of dye, each ornate embellishment was finished by hand. The exhibit doesn’t simply showcase clothes—it paperwork what occurs when love, tradition, and talent merge. It’s an altar to Italian craftsmanship.
Rome is brutal in summer season. Warmth radiates from the traditional stones, the solar lashes your again like a Roman soldier. But there I used to be, make-up melting, stilettos clicking, completely hypnotised.
For those who care about magnificence, heritage, or simply wish to escape Zara Hell, you have to go.
This isn’t simply style. It’s style because it as soon as was and will by no means be once more.
These males—Domenico and Stefano—are the final of their type. When they’re gone, this artwork type dies with them. You possibly can’t practice an algorithm to hand-bead a corset for 700 hours. You possibly can’t mass-produce a legacy. This exhibit is a time capsule. A couture colosseum. A once-in-a-lifetime invitation right into a world the place dressing was divine.
So if you end up in Rome between Could 14 and August 13, don’t skip this. Take the tram, the taxi, the heels, the fan. Come sweating, come gasping. Come for the clothes, keep for the magic.
And while you stand earlier than that golden wedding ceremony robe, keep in mind my phrases: that is Italy’s style Sistine Chapel. And Dolce & Gabbana are the final painters left.
