Dolce & Gabbana Goes Epic

July 9, 1943. On this date, the American and other Allied Forces spearheaded Operation Husky – the first World War II action in the liberation of Europe. The town where they landed? The southern Sicilian town of Agrigento. Because of this, it was there that Dolce & Gabbana unleashed their third and most spectacular Alta Moda show.

This particular show felt more intimate and esoteric than any other destination show this season. Held in Agrigento’s Valle dei Templi, Domenico Dolce (a Sicilian native) and Stefano Gabbana’s show featured a runway structure within the 430 BC Temple of Concordia and told the story of Sicily’s ancient Greek roots through dazzling splendor. They wanted to present in the Temple of Concordia because the structures, like haute couture, represented a sense of elevation to the Ancient Greeks who built them.

“Culture is a complicated word,” Dolce said in a preview statement. “This is a very private story. We only want to share this with people who feel the same as we do.”

The “people” Dolce was referring to? The designers’ extremely devoted lifelong clients, who came from all around the globe wearing their Alta Moda dresses, Alta Sartoria suits, and Alta Gioielleria jewelry. They were treated to a visual feast of gowns, each named after a Greek muse. They took inspiration from the muses’ patronages as well, from Athena’s armor to Diana’s crossbow.

But the breathtaking design didn’t stop there, as each dress interpreted Ancient Greece through mind-boggling artisanal proficiency. Needle-punch embroidery on translucent tulle and lace, beaded appliqué on a vase-shaped sleeve, a mink cape constructed entirely in intarsia (unfamiliar with intarsia? Look it up – it’s extremely difficult to do with fabric, let alone fur). Floral decorations common on Sicilian houses were transformed into foliage on porcelain-like dresses, and some tulle dresses featured embellishments that were then covered in more fabric and embellished AGAIN. This gave the dresses a look that was, quite literally, beyond. Helena Christensen also appeared wearing a gilded black tunic, a perfect presence in a show celebrating the “Hellenistic” ideal.

Take a look at the images here, and make sure to watch the entire show (style.com and YouTube are both good options). You’ll be transported to an ancient world that only a select few were fortunate enough to experience. But for Dolce & Gabbana and their tight-knit family of followers, that’s precisely the world they want to share.