In a Palazzo in Milano: Dolce e Gabbana Alta Moda

In a palazzo in Milano, ladies in starched white lab coats with black lace collars, stitch silken flowers, hand-made in Vicenza by a woman whose company made the flowers used by Monsieur Dior in the 1950s, onto fluffs of blackened tulle.  

In a palazzo in Milano the signora of the palazzo, a contessa or a principessa, wears a pink silk dressing gown piped in crimson.

"summer silks lit the hall with a burst of surprise, like a star rising amid the most delicate shades of light: pale pink, soft yellow, limpid blue..." Emile Zola, Au Bonheur des Dames

In a palazzo in Milano, on a meredienne-en-confident, lies a vast cloud of tulle strewn with flowers..."

"the wave of this cascade of linen slipped behind the quivering mystery of skirts, the chemise stiffened by the dressmaker's fingers, was about to become alive with flesh, warm and redolent with the smell of love, a white cloud sacrificed, bathed in the night, the slightest flutter of which to reveal the pink glimpse of a knee which in the depths of this whiteness would devastate the world." Emile Zola

In a palazzo in Milano, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have crafted a dream of Alta Moda for very few clients, not to be seen borrowed and worn on  a red carpet, and bedecked with flowers and  jeweled buttons.

In the early 1990s, my favorite designers were Dolce e Gabbana and I dreamt of owning one of their long sheer gowns in candy colors with the long coats piled with flowers.  I still dream of owning one of those so if anyone out there has early 1990s Dolce e Gabbana they wish to part with, please let me know!  And then after the 1990s I felt Dolce e Gabbana became a little repetitive, a little uninspired but they are back!  I have loved the recent ready-to-wear and I absolutely love the alta moda.  I also really love their philosophy that everything is one off and not really covered by the press (very few editors are invited).  It is fact, very hard to even find photos of the alta moda collections.  

For this collection 'i Fiori nell'Arte e le Donne' Domenico and Stefano looked to the garden, to the flowers found in museums and to women.  It is ravishingly beautiful... dream a little haute couture dream...

Dolce e Gabbana Alta Moda 2014.  Photos from various sources.

love, kisses and vintage, Juliana

In a Tropical Light: Dolce & Gabbana

Labor Day has come and gone but the sun still shines, weekends in the Hamptons will be only more beautiful and less crowded and there is still time to sip a Campari and soda in a tropical print Dolce & Gabbana corset dress...  Think of this as summer's last hurrah or getting a head start on shopping for Resort...  (please note the dress is more of a yellow then it appears in this photo)  I love 1990s Dolce & Gabbana!  The pieces are  so glamorous, sexy and molto Italiano!

1990s Dolce & Gabbana corset dress.  Size 4/6.  Only available at RARE vintage.

To purchase or for more information please phone 212.581.7273 or email info@rarevintage.com

Dolce & Gabbana Spring Summer 1998: Stromboli Collection

My two absolute favorite Dolce & Gabbana collections are the Spring Summer 1997 China collection:

"This is one of our favorite collections.  It was Chinese with lots of brocades, but of course mixed with  our corsets, leopard-spot chiffon, leopard-spot lingerie.  Madonna wore all of this collection." 

Dolce & Gabaana

and the Spring Summer 1998 Stromboli collection:

"an important part of the collection was the mix: red and yellow plastic corset dresses, the mix of old and new: pinstripes, tulle and little butterflies as decoration." Dolce & Gabbana

and so when this 1998 corset gown with a long chiffon train and adorned with butterflies came to me, well dear RARE vintage readers, Mamma Mia!  I had to sit down and take a whiff of some imaginary smelling salts and loosen my Dolce & Gabbana corset!  Sadly!  It was too small for me and so with a heavy heart I sold it to a client... (you don't think everything I buy for RARE vintage, ends up in RARE vintage do you : )

Oh, did I mention I love the Fall Winter 98/99 Dior and Balenciaga collection too...

"That is a sweet little nothing, you are almost wearing."

So said Sean Connery as James Bond in Diamonds are Forever to Jill St. John.

So says RARE vintage to this little sweet little something from Dolce e Gabbana.

In a pale shade of shell pink, it is a lingerie inspired lace and chiffon flirty frock.

Perfect to throw on when you are having a Bond girl moment.  Just which one are you is the question... Pussy Galore?  Plenty O'Toole?  Honey Ryder? Kissy Sazuki?  Dr Holly Goodhead?!

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Go with the Flow

I have always had a passion for floaty clothing.  There is just something ethereal, romantic and a little bit dramatic in a floaty dress.  Dolce & Gabbana understand romance and drama.  In their designs you can feel the heat of old Sicily, you can see the beautiful and irresistible Claudia Cardinale as Carmelina in 'I Soliti Ignoti' (Big Deal on Madonna Street in English) dressed in black, kept away from men by her brother.  Very traditional.  Very sexy.  A little dangerous.

In 1988, Dolce & Gabbana were inspired by the film The Leopard.  They designed one of their (and ours) favorite skirts in layers.  They wanted something very baroque.  

The inspiration: Claudia Cardinale and Burt lancaster in 'The Leopard'

1988 collection Dolce e Gabbana skirt.  Isn't this a great image?!

In 1990, inspired by the paintings of Raphael and sea creatures, they did a layered and draped chiffon skirt with trailing scarves that you can leave long or wrap around the waist.  The waistband is a soft elastic cotton. You could wear your sexiest black corset (did anyone see Madonna working the black corset again at the party in New York for the DVD release of the Valentino documentary?  You can check her out on Style.com) or you can wear the tiny ribbed top that our client wore with this skirt.

1990 Dolce & Gabbana draped chiffon 'Rafael' print skirt.  Size 6.

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273

Dolce e Gabbana: The China Collection 1992

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Italian fashion shows were the most anticipated of the season. Italian fashion was fun, sexy, irreverent, cerebral, architectural and romantic. Whether you dreamed of being one of Versace's rock and roll babes or a dreamy, ethereal Edwardian via Romeo Gigli or maybe a Tom Ford for Gucci girl, you simply knew that Italy was fashion heaven. 

At one point or another, I dreamt of being all those women but the woman I most craved being was the one that Dolce e Gabbana created.  There was no one sexier and more mysterious then Marpessa who modeled for them.  Whether it was a sultry black corset or one of the colorful embroidered long dresses with matching fur trimmed coats, I desperately wanted it all.

The China collection of 1992 was wild and full of color and print.  We are pleased to be able to offer this incredible silk shirt from the China collection that is a little bit Versace, a little bit Hermes but all Dolce e Gabbana.  We would wear this top with our favorite skinny leather leggings with a pair of high, high heels or a little bootie.

1992 China Collection Dolce e Gabbana silk top.  Oversized fit.  

For more information about this item please email info@rarevintageinc.com or call (212) 581 7273