Article Written By: Grace Sowerby
Nestled away within a Mayfair auction house amidst the depths of British winter lies an opulent oasis of Christie’s November Art Adorned Dolce&Gabbana exhibition. A free private-showing, the exhibition details the extraordinary couture creations from the designer’s Alta Moda and Alta Gioielleria collections, inspired by paintings of the past.
A deliciously diamond-studded feast of fashion and fine art, Art Adorned highlights the European art movements of the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, and how their influences are traced upon the opulent garments and jewels belonging to the Alta Moda collection.
One of the most sparkling aspects of the exhibition is the triple organza gown completed with a train, finished with an illusion tulle underskirt. The white gown embellished with hand-painted gold and cream detail is as ornate as the original seventeenth century tapestries which flank it on either side of the room it stands in, the sumptuous details of the dress as enriched as the sparkling D&G jewels and original decorations which dazzle throughout the exhibition.
Perhaps one of the most memorable pieces within the entirety of the exhibition is the magnificent yellow corset dress and its ostrich-feather embellishment. Flamboyant to say the least, it is difficult to avoid catching sight of this striking piece, its feathery puffed out sleeves and skirt taking up half the room its placed in. The corset’s cross-stitching of Domenico Ghirlandaio’s painting of Madonna and Child is mirrored by a similar Devotional portrait of the two figures placed on the headset, which can be evidently noticed beneath a matching yellow veil.
Devotional, divine, diamond-studded – Art Adorned explores the relationship between the classical and the contemporary. The exhibition embraces classical art and its enduring influence upon contemporary fashion today, proving that art from these periods have stood the test of time, and will only continue to do so into the future and beyond.
Article Written By: Grace Sowerby
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