La Dolce & Gabbana Vita

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

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.