MILAN – domenico & stefano take the cake, every season, for their outstanding male model casting. the runway shows really play a large role for the company as it allows new faces & known faces to share the same stage acting as a forecast for who is on the label’s radar. with design signatures heavily based on sensuality, formal attire & italian, old world charm- the dolce & gabbana label has taken the past three seasons to pay tribute to their home base of italy. of the most prestigious labels in milan, designers domenico & stefano both present another inspired collection which will definitely have a large presence on the editorial circuit.

skinny ties, black three piece suits & capes announced the opening of the collection’s sequence for the FW12 dolce & gabbana menswear show. initially, i looked at the collection thinking that it would just be another dolce re-run but was surprised when a conceptual focus came into the light beyond the first opening looks. paperboy caps entered the runway following the first few formal looks as the collection seemed to move backwards into time with each look. soon coats, blazers & a bit of grey entered the, at first, black & white palette. hemlines on the collections pants seemed to draw upward as scarves & embroidered detailing made it’s way onto the runway one male model at a time. dolce has become known for their use of sensuality & this season was no different, considering the long john/undergarment looks that again reappeared for this season’s menswear collection. commending the casting of the show, a wide range of ethnicities was seen on the runway while masculinity played the largest role in the collection. as flamboyant as the dolce & gabbana archives have been, i really appreciate the sense of reinterpretation that i’ve seen these past few seasons with how they represent this man, they’ve created, in outfitting him in classic attire.

the beautiful embroidered detailing that had slowly entered the collection became intensified as the collection progressed; design lines on coats became much more length, textiles were given added depth as wool pieces were paired with leather accessories & cable knit sweaters. it was a roundabout of style classics, yet again, for the gabbana guys as timeless appeal was felt most throughout the fall collection. strict in palette, the collection remained cohesive in it’s use of black, white & grey with the embroidery of the collection adding hints of yellow & shades of dulled gold into the other wise gloomy menswear set. just as you thought the palette would remain tame, the collection swelled with sexuality as a few more looks appeared with models adam senn walking the catwalk shirtless. no doubt an expected moment of showmanship for the label, a balance of classic & the unexpected were weaved into the show sequence perfectly. in terms of a show, dolce & gabbana continue to raise the bar in more ways than one, from design concepts, to model casts & overall theme. worn leather was seen in the collection’s accessories, which again played nice with the old world, italian theme the label has favored for the past few seasons. i love that the label has scaled things back, in terms of being too progressive. it’s always nice to see something a bit futuristic or ahead of the curb but there’s nothing like classic, high art inspiration to bring a little sense of nostalgia. mindful in sequence, the show grew to it’s greatest moment of regality at the back end as design intricacies were seen in their greatest shining moment. heavily embroidery & excellently detailed, the collection’s last looks were perhaps the most theatrical & were the best, being that they were saved for last. overall, the collection was beautifully conceptualized & really capitalized on the labels italian heritage, which i can always appreciate. [source]