MANILA, Philippines - Sizzling suits, the hot tropics and ladylike florals aren’t elements typically melded together, but on the Dolce & Gabbana spring-summer 2010 runways, they made for a powerful statement. In typical, head-turning style, models turned up for the finale en masse, loping down the runway in a tangle of long limbs, messy-yet-ladylike updos and darkly-tinged, wine-stained lips.
The Italian design duo combed through their references and presented a mash of curvy, figure-hugging corsetry, cheeky chintz juxtaposed against leopard print in scarlet. There’s a healthy dash of the irreverent here, exemplified by retro style pinup silhouettes that hide more than they reveal. Gently-scooped short hems and barely-there decolletage aside, the looks celebrate something completely opposite from the kittenish looks peopling spring catwalks. More lola than Lolita (but in a good way), Dolce & Gabbana’s all about the hot older woman who knows a thing or two about life (and dressing for it). You only have to look at their ad campaign to see it: Madonna, the ultimate hot older woman, currently endorses the label. Shot in black and white by Steven Klein, she’s washing dishes in one photo, appearing to be just another world-weary matriarch.
“Madonna washing dishes?!” Stefano Gabbana exclaims to W magazine. “This will go down in history!” In another ad, a cross pendant hanging above her cleavage, Madonna absently scratches a kitten, presenting an image of a brooding, somewhat bored sophisticate — or, more precisely, the blasé cougar to the easily excitable kitten.