Dolce&Gabbana’s SS24 menswear show sought out the core essence of the House in true tailored, sensual and wanderlust-inducing fashion.
For the strong character that Dolce&Gabbana has as a brand, its desire to define its identity can seem excessive and self-absorbed. The impermanence of fashion and its trends has left Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce feeling the pressure to leave their mark in the industry while they can. But it’s also safe to say that every collection since the House’s first in 1985 mirrors the duo’s style identity, and their SS24 menswear collection is no exception — it is an unequivocal extension of their evocative and eternal Mediterranean reverie.
To be honest, being able to constantly re-establish one’s classic repertoire from time and time again is a feat that goes under appreciated. Reinvention is a means of refinement, and constantly going back to the drawing board to enhance and sharpen the pen that signs off each sartorial creation requires a lot of time and effort. The SS24 collection’s attempt to unpack the DNA of what is “style” and “stylish” for Dolce&Gabbana puts forth exactly the kind of self-reflexive wisdom only the designer duo has been able to hone over their careers to achieve this. They’ve fallen and risen back up, each time stronger and more true to their singular menswear vision — a celebration of the classic and sensual nature of the male body.
Luxurious silhouettes were proposed in a pleasing succession of white, beige, dark brown, pearl, stone grey and Sicily black — almost like that of black ink slowly being pressed into paper for emphasis. “Piacenza” wool is a key material that gave suits and jackets sculptural volume, while over coats in double cashmere, silk crepe and 3D effect embossed jersey were a showcase of the duo’s unmatched love for varied textures and their masterful treatments this season.
The flower is explored as an embroidery focus in various proportions, found as a singular bloom or as a bunch on the cotton drill and silks, as well as on lapels of jackets and in the centre of shirts. The throes of a whirlwind, Sicilian romance is not lost in this moment of redefinition — as per the liberal application of Chantilly lace, accessories with the cross, and a new silk smocked knitwear version of underwear also reveal.
Suiting, the duo’s strong suit, was how the collection came to a grand close. Each blazer and pant ensemble signalled a reverent respect for the core of menswear, the seasonal evolutions of the Dolce, Sicilia and Taormina jackets a testament to the inventive nature of Dolce&Gabbana’s legacy; always refining and redefining the duo’s focus on the wonder and classicality of material manipulation — a rigorous play of surfaces, textures, overlays, shades of colour and the inherent brightness in every cut of fabric.
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