Behind The Brand: Dolce & Gabbana

Two designers dominated men's fashion with their opposing looks in Milan in 1990: Mr Giorgio Armani was master of minimalism, while Mr Gianni Versace was renowned for an opulent, baroque aesthetic. This status quo was, however, about to be challenged by two relative newcomers who had five years earlier shown their debut women's collection to critical acclaim. When Messrs Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana presented their first menswear collection in January that year, the press was shocked. The duo's slim and fitted, 1960s-inspired silhouettes went against the prevailing mood for broad shoulders and straight-cut but voluminous trousers. Rough edges, textured fabrics, country waistcoats and flat caps brought to mind the bucolic Sicilian lifestyle, leading some to label the look "peasant" style.

In truth, however, the designers have always explored the aristocratic side of Sicily just as much as the pastoral, with a strong emphasis on the sort of immaculate tailoring with fine details worn by the characters in Mr Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). Mr Dolce's father was a tailor in Polizzi Generosa, near Palermo, who dressed both farmers and local nobility; as a boy Mr Dolce would accompany his father to appointments and pass time in his studio. Although Mr Gabbana was born in Veneto, an area of Italy also renowned for style, the duo still focuses on Sicilian style and sensuality in their men's collections today. This approach, which also takes its influence from the southern Italian traditions of dressing up for church on a Sunday, and for leisurely passeggiata, has ensured that Dolce & Gabbana men's collections continue to define a distinctly Italian brand of masculine elegance, across both formalwear and casualwear.