Madonna s 1990 megahit "Vogue" was blaring from the sound system at D&G. But Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana s collection took those of us in the audience old enough to remember back a few years before that to the mid-eighties heyday of London fashion stars like Katharine Hamnett and Bodymap s David Holah and Stevie Stewart. Do you recall George Michael s "Choose Life" T-shirt from Wham s video for "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"? There was nothing quite as political as Hamnett s anti-drug slogan to be found in Milan today. The message of the duo s "Talking About You" tee and the show as a whole: in a word, fun.
The one thing it wasn t was serious. Not with the neon hits of caution orange, acid yellow, and highlighter pink, not with the alphabet prints, and certainly not with the plastic charm necklaces and high-heel wedge sneakers accessorizing every look. And that s probably just how the duo s Millennial fans like it. The designers opened with a man s gray tweed blazer lined in a fluorescent print that echoed the black and white block letters on the button-down and knit skirt it was worn with. More eighties shapes followed—oversize sweaters, pencil skirts, leggings, floor-length flowy skirts. As often as not, a stretchy tube was tossed over the whole thing Bodymap-style to define the waist, hips, and upper legs.
A couple of sporty neon parkas, one lined in fur, the other covered with it, have legit cross-generational appeal, in contrast to the pieces printed with schoolroom ABCs that decorated the runway. More so than usual, this collection seemed pegged at the very young. Strike a pose, kids.
