La Dolce & Gabbana Vita

A new exhibition by the design duo celebrates Italy in style. By Tiziana Cardini.

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When Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana first discussed celebrating their Alta Moda, Alta Sartoria, and Alta Gioielleria collections-the pinnacle of the body of 

work they've been building for four decades-an exhibition with a didactic parade of clothed mannequins wasn't even an option, Gabbana says. "It's not who we are." Instead, they concocted an immersive takeover of Milan's Palazzo Reale, transforming it into a series of tableaux of almost operatic extravagance rooted in the emotion and more of Italian culture as translated by artisans into exceptional fatto a mano, or handcrafted, pieces.

Curated by French fashion historian Florence Müller (who previously put together "Dior: From Paris to the World" and "Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective"), "From the Heart to the Hands" will run in Milan from April 7 to July 31.