Dolce & Gabbana unveils Paris exhibition celebrating storied place at heart of Italian culture

Show takes visitors behind the scenes of its exquisite craftsmanship and follows its successful run at Milan’s Palazzo Reale last year

Dolce & Gabbana took inspiration from the works of composer Puccini for some pieces, which are on show in Paris. Reuters

The retrospective exhibition Du Coeur a la Main: Dolce & Gabbana (From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce & Gabbana) has just opened its doors at the Grand Palais in Paris. This is the second global stop for the exhibition following a blockbuster sold-out run at Milan’s Palazzo Reale.

More than just a retrospective of decades of work by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the exhibition also serves as a celebration of Italian culture. Just as the brand defined itself when it was launched in the 1980s as a combination of high-brow and low-brow influences, so here the exhibition takes in everything from the aristocratic balls of Milan to the rustic horse-drawn carts of Sicily.

It fits into a broader movement to turn the archives of major fashion houses into opportunities for exhibitions, such as the recent Chanel retrospective at the V&A Museum in London. “The fashion exhibition has been a huge phenomenon for about 20 years,” says curator Florence Muller. “I think it’s a new opportunity for the couture houses to show another aspect of what they are doing.

"If you think about it, a fashion show lasts only 10 or 20 minutes. The clothes are going around the catwalk for a few seconds. You don’t perceive much. These exhibitions are the opportunity to be close to these designs and see all the details. To see the beautiful work that was put into them. It’s a unique opportunity that normally only the couture clients have.”

From Heart to the Hands certainly delivers on the opportunity. The exhibition features around 200 of the fashion house's one-of-a-kind pieces from now-legendary Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria and Alta Gioielleria shows (each translates literally as high womenswear, high menswear and high jewellery) which are its answer to French haute couture, the schedule of which it is not part of. Only by seeing them up close can one truly appreciate the intricate craftsmanship that goes into these exuberant and theatrical pieces.

The world of Dolce & Gabbana is well known for being a more-is-more experience, but some of the details in this exhibition reveal an attention to detail and sentimentally some might not realise is part of its ethos. “In the atelier, there’s a painting that was part of the atelier of Domenico Dolce’s father, who was a tailor in Sicily,” reveals Muller. “This is a very important piece of art that he absolutely wanted to have in the exhibition.”

Muller’s curation is supplemented by scenography by Agence Galuchat and production by IMG, all of which combine to give this touring exhibition a real sense of permanence. The exhibition unfurls over 10 rooms covering 1,200 square metres. Each room has a theme of inspiration, from the mosaics of Sicilian cathedrals to the Scala opera and film to folk traditions.

Two rooms in particular stand out. First is the Devotion, which features models glittering in gold against a black background evoking a Baroque theatricality. The garments are inspired by the contrapposto figures sculpted in woodwork that were in vogue in the 17th and 18th centuries. The room gives off a true sense of the mysticism that infuses much of Dolce & Gabbana’s work.

The second area is the atelier. To access it, you walk up a flight of stairs dotted with black-clad models as if in a funereal procession. Once inside, it is a simulacrum of the brand’s Milan atelier where 120 people work on their intricate craft.

Here, five craftswomen are present and working. It is a moment to take in the movements of their hands, their focus and their dedication. It is in this space that viewers understand the quiet hard work behind the theatricality.

There is a somewhat political symbolism to the exhibition, too. French couture house Chanel has committed millions of euros to the renovation of the Grand Palais, making the first major exhibition to be held there by an Italian brand an act of fraternal friendship between the competing entities. It is something of a diplomatic coup.

In total, the exhibition will visit nine cities around the world, including the shows in Milan and Paris. Where the remaining seven shows are headed is still a closely kept secret but Dolce & Gabbana told The National that a Middle Eastern stop is possible. In the meantime, we'll always have Paris.

From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce & Gabbana is on show until March 31 at the Grand Palais, Paris