From the Heart to the Hand: Dolce & Gabbana in Paris

The “Du Coeur à la Main” exhibit at the Grand Palais is not just a fleeting encore of the Dolce & Gabbana haute couture collection from the 2024 show in Milan. It is so much more. It is a catapult into a world beyond the wildest imagination … and a loving tribute to the heart of Italy.

Leave behind memories of Paris Fashion Week with unsmiling models and outfits that sometimes question the very meaning of “fashion.” The Dolce and Gabbana exhibit is a “journey of discovery” that may dramatically change visitors’ perception of couture.

Be transported, for a few hours, into a dream world with some of the most creative moments of fashion art imaginable.

Full-length coats with embroidered scenes of Biblical characters or historic architecture, dresses adorned with Murano glass, exuberant colors and feathers in the Sicilian folk tradition incorporated into sweeping ball gowns. Sequins, crystals, leather, and lace… oh my.

The multi-room exhibit on three floors of the Grand Palais was curated by art and fashion historian Florence Müller (with scenography by Agence Galuchat) to showcase the creations of Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria, and Alta Gioelleria collections.

“This is a meeting of ideas and craftsmanship, the creative passion that brings the designers’ desires to life,” Müller notes. “The exhibit pays tribute to everything that constitutes Italy’s cultural richness and demonstrates that the past is not dead.” A bridge between the past and present connects the creations of Dolce & Gabbana.

Each room is a world of its own, hidden behind black velvet curtains, so that when you finally find the opening in the drapes in the darkness and enter, you feel an Indiana Jones explorer rush. It’s as if discovering a fantastical universe full of modern, yet somehow ancient, treasures.

The exhibit includes more than 200 garments and 300 jewelry pieces and accessories. Each piece is a unique work of art that reflects Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s deep love of traditional craftsmanship, their Italian heritage, and their passion for la dolce vita. Dolce’s Sicilian upbringing and Gabbano’s Milanese ties reflect the Italian spirit from north to south.

The title of the exhibit “Du Coeur à la Main” (“From the Heart to the Hand”) aptly describes the process of creative passion and heartfelt artistic design being transformed into elegant couture via dedicated artisanal craftsmanship.

“There’s so much to learn working with the artisans, learning from their knowledge is such a privilege,” Dolce & Gabbana said in a Vogue article after last year’s Alta Moda show. “What we do, we do per amore.”

As you wander through each separate universe of the exhibit, you will experience not only the fashions, but also the architecture, art, music, furnishings, and sounds of Italy’s culture.

Italian opera is present in many rooms, traditional folk music in some, and even the sound of breaking glass in the exquisite last room — The Art and Craft of Glassworking. The stage is set with Barovier chandeliers; Barbini mirrors; and glass, crystal, and plexi-glass adorned fashions.

The other rooms offer tributes to special themes. “White Baroque” pays tribute to the stucco masters of the baroque era of the 17th and 18th centuries, with designs featuring the simplicity of white but with the beauty of intricate and elaborate detail.

“Dream of Divinity” is a shrine to the royalty of antiquity and “Devotion” reveals the sacred heart (a symbol of life and love) in many forms in the clothes and accessories.

Perhaps a favorite moment (and surely one that warrants an OMG when entering through the darkness of the black velvet curtains) is the world of “Sicilian Traditions.” The room explodes in exuberant color — with traditional tile work, painted wooden panels, processional carts, and fashions with hand-painted skirts, feathers, and other colorful accessories. Everyone in this room is smiling.

The top floor of the exhibit presents a working atelier, where seamstresses work on the fashions and where the elements of dress design and construction are on full view.

From the Heart to the Hand

Dolce & Gabbana, known for their highly original shows and extravagant parties for an extremely elite audience as they present their yearly collections, are also not without controversy for some of their ad choices and personal statements.

What is clear above all is the unique artistry of these couturiers. They live the title of this exhibit… from the heart to the hand.

DETAILS

The Dolce and Gabbana exhibit “Du Coeur à la Main” has been extended until April 2. Reserve your tickets online soon to be sure you experience this blockbuster event.

Disclaimer: As someone with a tiny Paris closet, I don’t really focus on fashion. However, I was blown away by the artistry of Dolce and Gabbana. I am placing this exhibit in the top 20 of my 21 years in Paris. (And I would definitely wear the Dolce and Gabbana coat pictured below.)