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Style Inspiration: Dolce & Gabbana

Get the Dolce & Gabbana Look on the high-street

I hope the people remember Dolce & Gabbana for the sensuality, for the Mediterranean sense, for our honesty to the life.

-Domenico Dolce

Dolce & Gabbana has one of the most distinctive brand personalities – think of Dolce & Gabbana and you think of sunny Sicily, small Italian villages, big italian families and big designs. It’s one of the most recognised fashion houses since the 80s, so it’s no surprise that there is so much on the high street that has clearly taken inspiration * cough * or ripped off * cough * from D&G. Being one of my favourite designers, it made sense for my next ‘inspired by’ post to be on D&G.

[Check out my Style Inspiration posts on Gucci and Chloé]

If there is one thing that Dolce & Gabbana doesn’t do, it’s doing things by halves. It’s the definition of maximalismo. Everything is exuberant.

Fun fact: Dolce & Gabbana have said that when they die, their eponymous fashion house will die with them – they do not want anyone else to take over after they are gone. Every offer they have received so far, for example, when they broke up as a romantic couple, floods of offers came in to take control but they refused.

The DOLCE DNA

If you want to experiment with your style and add a splash of D&G flavour to your high-street outfit, then here’s what to look for:

  1. Lingerie pieces
  2. Feminine florals
  3. Colourful prints
  4. Regal and religious accessories
  5. Baroque extravagance

Photography by D Rayner Photo (edited by me)

Hannah wears an embellished and jewelled black bustier with straps and baroque patterned red silky pyjama style trousers/pants. Shoes are red mules and she holds a black weaved wicker box bag outside a old white Manor House.

Powerful but romantic. Womanly.

-Tim Blanks, Vogue

1. Lingerie pieces

Bralettes, camis, satin pyjama pieces, corsets, structured tops… These are the types of pieces that make up the basis of Dolce & Gabbana’s aesthetic. Perhaps, the corset is the most iconic – a favourite of their muse Sofia Loren – which subsequently returns to their collections. I saw this bejeweled bustier top on Zara and immediately knew where they got their inspiration from. Black and red are staples of the D&G diet, more specifically, black lace and red jewels and lips.

Hannah wears an embellished and jewelled black bustier with straps and baroque patterned red silky pyjama style trousers/pants. Shoes are red mules and she holds a black weaved wicker box bag, in front of a white stately house.Look One | Earrings: Etsy | Bodice: Zara | Trousers: Zara | Bag: Zara | Mules: River Island

To me, flowers are happiness.

-Stefano Gabbana

2. Feminine florals

Florals make up a large proportion of Dolce & Gabbana’s prints, especially roses. Instead of ditsy prints, look for large flowers that dominate the fabric. This white and red rose rockability dress is absolutely stunning (any weddings coming up soon?) and a complete D&G dupe.

Have fun with the florals – clash them with other prints, like polka dots or leopard print, maybe go for a nautical vibe and pair a floral top with stripes.

Hannah kisses a pineapple

Hannah holding a pineapple to her hear

Look Two | Earrings: Asos | Top: New Look (Similar) | Skirt: Asos | Bag: Asos

In life you need to take a risk

– Stefano Gabbana

3. Colourful prints

Go for statement prints that remind you of summer. Prints that are beloved by D&G (and lucky for us available on the high-street) are florals, as mentioned, prints with fruit, post-card prints (an example of what I mean below), animal prints – especially leopard, a classic – scarf prints and tile prints to evoke their gorgeous maiolica print…

This H&M dress may be a bit extra, but as soon as I saw it, I needed it. The sweetheart neckline, the ruffles, the banana and yellow lily print just screamed Dolce & Gabbana.. which may be why it sold out straight away. I tried three times to buy it when it went out of stock! Eventually, I came, I saw, I conquered! It was all worth it. This dress has earned so many compliments every time I’ve worn it.
If you’re afraid of wearing something like this, then maybe first try it out with flats and understated jewellery and start by wearing it to an event like a wedding, where you’ll feel more comfortable all dressed up.

Hannah wears an H&M bright, floral and lemon flounce dress in front of a mediterranean looking house. Hannah in yellow floral dress leaning on a red post box. Unfortunately, this dress is sold out! But here are some gorgeous alternatives:

We built our fashion around three fundamental concepts: Sicily, tailoring, and tradition.
– Domenico Dolce

4. Regal and religious accessories

Sicily is at the heart of the brand, so pieces that reflect the traditions of this Italian city are key. Domenico and Stefano love to play with bringing Italy’s historic and religious past into their modern-day looks. Expect to see a lot of big crosses and headpieces that would be fit for a queen 👑.

Gold is a key metal, so pick out items with gold buttons and or cute headband to jazz up an outfit. Statement earrings are a must – the bigger the better. You’ll find loads of earrings on Etsy that are especially made to look like the ones seen on the runway.

Go for jewels upon jewels! Jewelled earrings – check. Embellished bag – check. Stone headband – check. Pretend you’re Beyoncé in the ‘Bow Down’ video.

(Okay, I cheated with this outfit, because the top is not a high-street dupe, but I’ve listed a few tops below that are similar to the D&G top I’m wearing).

Hannah crossing the road, wearing a Dolce & Gabbana vest top which says 'Sicila, Mare, Sole, Amore' with an Asos polka dot skirt with gold buttons. Floral and embroidered sandals with a rose gold flower headband and cross baroque earrings with red lips. Dolce and Gabbana style inspiration

Look Four | Top: Dolce & Gabbana – in blue | Earrings: Etsy | Skirt: Asos | Bag: Asos (sold out – similar) |  Shoes: Topshop – similar | Headband: Asos

Purse friendly versions of this Dolce & Gabbana vest:

Baroque  /bəˈrɒk/)

is a highly ornate and often extravagant style of architecture, art and music that flourished in Europe from the early 17th until the late 18th century. The baroque style used contrast, movement, exuberant detail, grandeur and surprise to achieve a sense of awe.

5. Baroque extravagance

The pattern on this Asos jumpsuit fits perfectly into the baroque category; it’s got the roses, the ornate gold borders, panelling and the colours are stunning together. Reminds me of the Sistine Chapel ceiling!

To get this look, make sure you have some gold or silver tones, along with textures like embroidery on top of intricate patterns and jacquard fabrics.

Hannah wears a scarf print jumpsuit in blue, red and gold baroque pattern. She holds a minaudiere box bag in black. Dolce & Gabbana designer inspired high-street look. Style inspiration. Fashion blogger. Photos taken by D Rayner photo

Look Five | Jumpsuit: Asos |Bag: Zara | Sunglasses: Primark

I had a lot of fun putting together these outfits! Are you inspired to jazz up your outfit with a statement earring or cute box bag? Let me know in the comments what you thought 😉

Also would you want me to share the Lightroom presets I made for these photos? Let me know!

Thanks for reading!

x

More Dolce & Gabbana inspired pieces

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Five Fashion Fails: Lawsuits filed against fakes

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Real sues the fakes

It’s nothing new that the high-street takes inspiration from luxury designer houses. But when they go too far, the fakes can be sure there’s a copyright violation lawsuit coming after them for a BIG sum of money…

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What would Daenerys wear?

Style Inspiration: Daenerys Targaryen

Unless you’ve been living under a (Casterly) rock, you’ll know that season seven of Game of Thrones is in full swing! …Even if you don’t watch it.

I’ve already written one post on GoT, but, the force of nature that is Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, deserved her own post.

Dany’s style is forever evolving along with her character, much like Sansa’s, and as we all know, WINTER IS COMING so her costumes are getting darker as she prepares for war.

Let’s get to the part where I dress up 😉 I thought it would be fun to interpret Dany’s style if she were to live and breathe and walk through fire in our realm in 2017 (you know, if she wasn’t fictional) and I feel this gunmetal foil jumpsuit would be the kind of thing she’d wear.

*Disclaimer* This has not been photoshopped; that wild dragon happened to be there.

Jumpsuit: Topshop (colour out of stock) same jumpsuit in grey | Earring: Amazon | Necklace: Topshop (Out of stock) similar | Boots: Topshop

Although I don’t think she would pop into Topshop to try on outfits, cos for sure I think she would resurrect Alexander McQueen to custom-make her clothes from 24k gold spun silk and lizard skin, Topshop was the next best thing.

After all, she is Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, first of her name, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men (claimant), Protector of the Realm (claimant), Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Mother of Dragons, The Unburnt, Breaker of Chains, Princess of Dragonstone… and all round feminist badass. Whew, that’s so long. Hands up if you just glanced over that part. I feel a meme is appropriate here:

10 Daenerys costume facts

  1. It took two and a half months and seven wigs to find the perfect tone of that ‘Daenerys silver-white’ hair. In my look, I put a few of her signature plaits in my hair.
  2. Sticking with the theme of hair, in the book when Dany emerges from the flames, her hair is completely burnt off. So, if the show had followed the books, she would’ve been bald for at least a season before her hair grew back!
  3. As blue’s a Dothraki colour, Dany wore a lot of blue dresses in season four, as a sign of respect and mourning for her late husband Khal Drogo.
  4. However, the following season sees her wearing white and pale colours as she asserts her authority. In the episode “The Dance of Dragons“, Dany wears white to show her neutrality as gladiators take to the fighting pit to battle to the death. Michele Clapton, GoT costume designer said:

    “Now she’s got this sense of power and also a sense of immortality. […] I wanted to give this rather untouchable quality to her. The idea behind the white and pale grey is the sense of removal, a removal from reality”.

    Michele Clapton

  5. Not a little-known fact, but for those who don’t know, Dany’s eyes should be purple. They tried filming the first episodes with Emilia Clarke wearing lilac contact lenses, but they were too uncomfortable, so they decided to film without.
  6. Dany’s armour-like dragon necklace, which she wore in the scene I referred to in no.4, was commissioned by a London jewellery maker Yunus & ElizaI drew Daenerys in this necklace which I added below 🙂
  7. …and YOU CAN ACTUALLY BUY THE ACTUAL JEWELLERY! (It’s pricey though).
  8. Dany always wears trousers and boots underneath her dresses, no matter how extravagant the dress. That’s why I chose to go with a jumpsuit for this look. It’s the best of a dress and trousers; the silhouette remains feminine, but is still more practical than a dress, whereas the boots toughen it up a bit.

    “There’s always a fear in her that she will have to leave so it gives her the freedom to always escape and run. If she had silly shoes on she’d lose all her strength.”

  9. In this new season, Daenerys is leaving her blues and whites behind and going for the dark colours like steel, charcoal and burgundy. After all, her house colours are red and black and she’s here to claim the throne in the name of House Targaryen. I love this necklace that I paired with the silver jumpsuit: with its layered silver chains and purple stone that looks like it could be a dragon claw, its the perfect touch to finish this outfit.

    Now you do finally start seeing [red] creeping in through the scaling and embroidery on her dresses. It’s just a touch. And she now has this fantastic new chain we’ve created. I didn’t want her to have a crown, I wanted her to have a chain.

  10. Gone are the floaty gowns in season seven. She’s going to a colder climate, so she’ll be more covered up and now that’s she’s a conquerer, her outfits are more structured and sharp to reflect that. Ironically, we see Dany’s outfit looking very reminiscent of her sadistic brother’s in season one – perhaps Viserys’ costume actually foreshadowed Daenerys’ success?

    Dany’s setting foot on the shores of her homeland and preparing to reclaim her birthright which means she needs an outfit that reflects her position of power.

    “She’s this figurehead of her army,” Clapton says. “I wanted her to be able to stand in front of the Unsullied and be their leader.”

    Michele Clapton

I hope you enjoyed this post!
If you think I’m a bit of a nerd after reading this, then you’re right! 😛 Let me know what you think of my interpretation of Daenerys’ season seven outfit in the comments ♥

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My drawing of Daenerys for my bestie!

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Style Inspiration: GUCCI

Gucci is back.

Alessandro Michele has revived the brand after its style and business started to tire under former chief Frida Giannini. Now, the revamped designer label is back on the map, with everyone either seen wearing Gucci loafers, belts and handbags or coveting the Gucci style. The high-street is taking note.

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