Rome has been a dream of ours for many years, the city that we see as symbolising the triumph of beauty. Throughout history, popes, emperors and patrons of the arts invited the most accomplished and inspired artists to this metropolis to celebrate its beauty. The masterpieces they created are what defines Rome as the Eternal City.
The list of wonders is long: Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Castel Sant’Angelo, Villa Borghese, the Catacombs, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona… to name but a few. And, of course, the Roman Forum, which is the location we chose for our Alta Moda fashion show. If for years we have dreamed of Rome’s beauty, now, by staging our couture show here, in the ancient Forum, using the Via Sacra as a ready-made catwalk, we have made a dream come true.
The beauty of this city is not confined to ancient times, though. As well as the pontiffs and emperors, the stories of Messalina and the gladiators, and the myths and monuments, there is a more modern incarnation of Rome that was born in the 1950s when the film studios at Cinecittà, on the outskirts of the city, became known as “Hollywood on the Tiber”.
The city became a playground for movie stars, who may have been channelling emperors, soldiers and queens for their professional roles, but were drawn in the evenings to taste the seductive sweet alfresco Roman nightlife, their movements tracked by the paparazzi, a game of cat and mouse immortalised in Fellini’s magnificent La Dolce Vita.
It is this peculiar, magical cocktail of ancient myth and more modern glamour that we aimed to channel in our Alta Moda collection, so influenced by Tirelli Costumi, the Roman firm that since 1964 has dressed Italian cinema with impeccable artisan skill (and has worked on 17 Oscar-winning releases).
So, in a move that echoed the practise of those patrons of old, we invited two artists, Swiss/Italian photographers Luigi Murenu and Iango Henzi, to be inspired by the city and our work and, with the help of model Kristen McMenamy, to capture the spirit of our Alta Moda creations in the Eternal City.
We hope you enjoy the result.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana
PH. Luigi & lango – @luigiandiango
Models:
Kristen McMenamy – @kristen_mcmenamy
Gian Lorenzo Sbaragli @lorenzosbaragli
Brock Webb @brockweeb
Amaury Valero @chiico.suave
Alessandro Cortesi @aalessandrocortesi
Tom Chidiac @tomchidiacc
Javi Quevedo @javiquevedo
