Dolce & Gabbana takes over Paris’ Grand Palais with an opulent celebration of craft and creativity

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are celebrating 40 years of their luxury fashion empire at Paris’ Grand Palais with ‘Du Coeur à La Main (From the Heart to the Hand)’, the duo’s second passionate love letter to Italy following the exhibition’s debut at Palazzo Reali in Milan last spring.

The show is breathtaking. Less a retrospective, more a Grand Tour, it takes us from Stefano’s birthplace of Milan to Rome, Florence, Naples and Capri, then to Domenico’s birthplace of Sicily, Palermo and Taormina, to marvel at the opulence of Italy’s art and culture, transcending the ephemerality of fashion.

Dolce & Gabbana’s ‘Du Coeur à La Main (From the Heart to the Hand)’ exhibition at Paris’ Grand Palais

For those who missed its Milan debut, or not lucky enough to score front-row seats at their shows, ’From the Heart to the Hands’ provides a unique close-up of the artistry and craftsmanship of the label.

Curated by Florence Müller, it unfolds through twelve retina-searing tableaux, with 200 one-off Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria creations, 300 handmade accessories including Alta Gioielleria, and 130 original artworks, spread over a 1,200 sq m extravaganza on three floors.

Blacked-out corridors lead to heavy, black velvet drapes. Parting these, each set bursts exuberantly into life in one of its twelve theatrical acts; Fatto a mano; Architecture and Artists; Dream of Divinity; Divine Mosaics; Sicilian Traditions; White Baroque; Devotion; Italian Ornaments and Volumes; The Leopard; In the Heart of Milan; Opera, and the finale, The Art and Craft of Glasswork, with craftswomen embroidering with glass, live.

Catholic imagery abounds, with religious icons woven into sweaters, a bishop’s mitre as headwear, and a thurible handbag carried on a chain by a male model. On the staircases, clusters of the designers’ signature Sicilian widow silhouettes clutch rosary beads in black form-fitting silk-satin gazar and lace. The Sacred Heart symbol is a recurrent motif, suggesting that creativity cannot exist without divine passion.

Here, Müller recounts to Wallpaper* the story behind the extraordinary exhibition.

Jean Grogan: What does bringing this exhibition to Paris, epicentre of haute couture, mean to Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana?

Florence Müller: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are the designers most inspired by Italian culture, and the ones who represent it most accurately. The exhibition was created in Milan, Italy’s fashion capital, now it comes to Paris, France’s fashion capital, the epitome of haute couture.

Making haute couture with Italian savoir-faire is a dream they have fulfilled since launching their Alta Moda line in 2012. The arrival of From the Heart to the Hand at the Grand Palais is an affirmation and recognition of the significance of their work as couturiers and of Italian savoir-faire.

In a previous interview they said: 'Getting here was a dream come true, we wanted to be Chanel.’

JG: Was your curation chronological? What was your selection process?

FM: Curating an exhibition like this is a very complex process. I began by delving into the history and archives, looking at what has been preserved and then discussing with the designers to understand their creative intention, and what they wanted to communicate. The exhibition is an homage to the encounter between the creative idea, the master craftsmanship, and the creative passion that brings the designer desire to life. I feel very privileged to be able to understand their work, their intention and their dream of creating beauty from the inside out.

JG: Each tableau is extremely distinctive and self-explanatory.

FM: Yes, there is no need for the visitor to read the introductory text to each room to grasp what we’re trying to say. The scenography is reflected in the creations and vice versa.

JG: What are the main differences between these two exhibitions?

FM: The Grand Palais is more spacious than the Palazzo Reali, which allowed us to exhibit more jewellery, Baroque furniture and decorative objects meaningful to the designers’ universe.

One room, Divine Mosaics, has a completely different shape to that of Milan, it is circular, whereas in Milan, it was square, covered floor to ceiling with glass mosaics and gold leaf. The same mosaic panels created by the Orsoni 1888 house in Venice were reassembled in the Grand Palais, but adapted to this new format.

JG: Parting the curtains to enter each mise-en-scène gives the exhibition a ‘Through the Looking Glass’ feel. Was this your intention?

FM: The original intention of the curtains was to contain the music soundtrack specific to each room, to avoid sound pollution from one space to another. But as the project progressed, the curtains became an integral part of the dramaturgy, heightening the effect of mystery. Lifting the curtains is like opening a gift to reveal the surprise inside.

JG: What is the next stop on this global tour?

FM: The next stop is top secret, to maintain the element of surprise. This exhibition proves one thing. The past is not dead. The past can be brought back to life by l’Alta Moda. Or in the words of Tancredi in the designers’ favourite cult movie, The Leopard: ‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.’

‘Du Cœur À La Main: Dolce & Gabbana’ runs at Paris’ Grand Palais until March 31, 2025.

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