D&G - Spring/Summer 2011

After spending winter sipping champagne in a hip ski chalet and wearing moon boots, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana chose a change of scenery for their muse by taking her out to the country. Their pastoral wardrobe presented floral compositions that could have competed with Disney.

Most of the time, when the two Italians go for a theme, they usually exploit it to its fullest (at the risk of coming close to caricature). Fortunately, the duo also has the chic to inject a joyful energy into their second line. This season, the almost-first degree variations on their pastoral theme stop short of diminishing the impulsive aura emanating from the show.

Wandering around in an immense garden suggested by the flower beds surrounding the catwalk, the D&G girl oscillated at first between a funky gardening look (with shorts and skirts in a khaki canvas good for doing yard work) and the young tourist sightseeing in Wonderland (with transparent chiffons dotted with a multitude of flowers).

Throughout the course of the show, the 2 influences end up by coming together, giving birth to ultra fresh silhouettes suggesting images of throwing a picnic with the 7 dwarves (refer to the numerous t-shirts dotting the show).

Re-mastered rain boots topped off with a Vichy check top, sandals with oversized platforms accompanied by waxed canvas bloomers, mini dresses decorated with petunias, and even a liberty combo dotted the deceptively innocent, very sexy Disney-esque Snow White wardrobe.

In the end, although we might find their printed t-shirts lacking in finesse, the floral mix-and-matches constituting a good number of the looks made up for this in enthusiasm, and are worth their weight in addictive romantic girlitude.

Click here to view the entire collection: http://www.style.com/S2011RTW-DG