Sacro Visions by Dolce & Gabbana

This large-scale work of fashion and photography explores the concept of the sacred as understood by Dolce & Gabbana. There is very little text, aside from an introduction and caption notes. The main content includes archival photographs of Italian religious festivals taken by renowned Italian photographers and Dolce & Gabbana’s designs, taken by leading fashion photographers. The festival photos are in black and white and date as far back as the 1930s. The fashions are stunning and often directly representative of religious artwork. A Raphael painting of the Madonna in the Meadow translated into a ball gown; Botticelli’s The Annunciation adapted into a cloak; mosaic details superimposed onto glorious, gilded dresses. The images also play with the profane: a model wearing a jeweled pope’s miter is juxtaposed against a photograph of the coronation of Pope Pius XII. Jewelry that evokes the religiosity of the baroque and the Renaissance is included as well, as are images from Dolce & Gabbana ad campaigns.