Dolce & Gabbana FW 13
When history and fashion combine into something gorgeous I almost feel like shouting "It's a Bingo!" a la Inglorious Basterds. Like Vegemite and peanut butter made the tangy, creamier combination I craved as a child the combination of my two biggest interests in one thing is something I drool over.
Though I didn't drool literary when I saw the pictures from Dolce & Gabbana's FW 2013 show in my mind I was behaving like my dog when he sees a piece of chocolate and it all came down to one extraordinary woman from the 6th century AD and the Eastern Roman Empire she reigned over.
An actress and possibly a prostitute Theodora I rose from humble beginnings to become the Empress of the Byzantine Empire, the only living part of the Roman Empire left during the middle ages, and by most accounts was a force to be reckoned with.
She worked on reforms for women's marriage rights, created a paper On Pimps to help stop pimps making money from prostitutes and helped create anti-rape legislation. She also looked after women from the sex industry, many of whom were slaves, by creating safe houses for them and pushing some into nunneries. But for all of her work towards improving the status of her own sex she never really got along with women and was known to be jealous and vengeful to those she thought stood in her way; including her aunt-in-law Empress Euphemia.
All of this made Theodora the most powerful Roman women ever and one of the most fascinating in history.
So, you can imagine my smile when I saw images of Byzantine inspired art, taken from the gorgeous mosaics adorning the walls of churches all around the Sicily, printed onto the vast majority of Dolce & Gabbana's newest collection.
Yes, the Byzantine Empire and Theodora have been used before as an influence in collections and arguably in a better and less in your face manner like in Chanel's Pre-Fall 2011 but this didn't stop Dolce & Gabbana's collection from being one of my favourites from fashion month.
Apart from the influence of Theodora and Co this collection seems almost to be a how-to for dressing royal whether it be modern, historical or just make believe. From the rich mosaic prints that conjured up the Byzantine Empire the most Dolce & Gabbana moved into tailored tailored skirt suits in herringbone tweed and check which seem perfect dressing for the modern day princess and from there to a series of lacy black and white pieces that play on volume and shape offering structured shoulders, Peter Pan collars and bell sleeves that wouldn't look strange on any Disney or real life royal before finishing with a not quite royal but still just as so show shopping cardinal red which combined the Byzantine influence with the early Christian church influence that also came through the use of images from their visual starting point for the collection the Cathedral of Monreale and many other churches around Sicily.
Accessory ways Dolce & Gabbana stuck with what they have become known for: loud and bright with embroidered bags, heavily decorated rosary and cross earrings, shoes that look like they had flowers growing from their heels and bright gold bejewelled crowns to complete the most royal of looks thankfully staying away from anything really kitsch or controversial.
Season after season it becomes more apparent that Dolce & Gabbana are creating a signature for themselves. The lace, the knickers as pants and of course there never ending obsession with all things Sicilian have quickly become part of the brands DNA and although it does falter sometimes this collection shows that Domenico and Stefano can essentially create similar collections every season while still remaining fresh and interesting.
P.S. My lack of posts during the last week were due to my internet company completely stuffing me around with the fixture of a fault. Thankfully, it's all fixed now.
Pictures via Style.com