Dolce & Gabbana - Spring/Summer 2011

Of all the head-to-toe virginal looks rolling out this season, the Dolce&Gabbana show delivered a version most resembling the young bride look. Celebrating 25 years of existence, the Italian duo's winter collection made room for a range of ensembles that seemed to come directly out of the fertile imagination of a young girl from another century.

Comfortably seated in the front row, the numerous VIPs present - including the petite Willow Smith - attended a show in which each piece seemed to have been inspired by the famous trousseaux that used to accompany young women into their marriages so long ago.

The slender silhouettes of the models presented creations resembling doilies, tablecloths, sheets and curtains, whose delicate embroideries made it possible to transpose them into a wardrobe worthy of the name.

Although Stefano and Domenico may have wanted to present a profusion of combinations from another age, this did not prevent them from including one of the Dolce&Gabbana's fetish prints: leopard.

Mixed in with the group of young, deceptively sincere women pacing the catwalk were models wearing creations that were a bit more glamorous, in which English embroidery faced off with more animal spirits. This was followed by floral graphics that added to the interpretation of the young woman's trousseaux.

Although the entirety of the collection may be about youth, the creators also added references to the Italian widow (whose wardrobe was once again re-mastered). Simultaneously dignified and sensual, the licorice-colored looks brought just enough spice to the tranquil show whose monochromatic scheme could have otherwise become tiring.

At the end, the cotton doves completely lacking in glittery flourishes were succeeded by creations that were just as immaculate but nevertheless worked over with a multitude of rhinestones, transforming the impulsive mademoiselles into elegantly chic creatures.

The only flat note: a close examination of the ensembles is extremely necessary here in order to judge the show whose apparent monotony might cause an initial disappointment.

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