Saturday 24 May 2014

Inspector Montalbano, Dolce & Gabbana Spring / Summer 2012

European crime dramas seem to be the new black and there is barely an evening where you cannot watch a sleuth with subtitles tracking down some mysterious villain.

Inspector Montalbano and its prequal Young Montalbano are set in a imagined town on the island of Sicily. None of the characters in either show are hugely stylish or particularly visually inspiring, but there is something about the overall feel of the two shows that I really like. All the characters look quite natural- there's lots of linen and cotton, and the women tend to have naturally styled hair and minimal makeup save for some lucious deep red lipstick. Not to mention the Sicilian backdrop to the drama and the luscious colour palette that it brings is stunning.

(If you are looking to watch either of these shows I don't believe they are currently being screened, but there are still a whole heap of other continental murders being solved).

 Inspector Montalbano & Young Montalbano
Images via Radio Times

The colour palette and general feeling of Southern Italian living reminds me of Dolce and Gabbana's aesthetic. Domenico Dolce hails from Sicily and D&G use a lot of southern Italian culture and heritage to inpire their collections.

This has probably never been so apparent as in the Spring/ Summer 2012 collection and ad campaign. The mix of fruit and vegetable prints and lace looked sexy yet wholesome, and the campaign centered around the highly stylised lives of a 'typical' Sicilian family really re-enforced the Italian inspiration behind the collection.


 Dolce & Gabbana S/S 12
Images via F Tape

The silhouettes were, on the whole, quite form fitting with plunging necklines, though there were some full skirts and legs on show here and there. Monica Bellucci looks stunning in these ads. Admittedly making Monica look good makes shooting fish in a barrel look challenging, but never the less I think the clothes are helping her, not hindering.

I wanted to try and recreate the mix of lace and fruit. I think that despite the fact that I don't live in a small Mediterranean village this look is actually pretty wearable for summer. It's also something that you could quite easily adapt and re-create using any crochet and floral pieces that you have in your wardrobe (I would love to do something with the aubergine print from the D&G collection, but sadly nobody on the highstreet seems to have tried vegetable prints- sticking only to the fruits). I decided not to try and emulate the silhouette completely as I don't really enjoy wearing low cut tops, but I like the pencil shape to the skirts and the hourglass figure with a cinched waist.


Zara foil lace tshirt / Zara fruit print trousers (available here) / Topshop citrus gem bracelet / Topshop suede bow heels

Hoop earrings, Zara foil lace tshirt / Vintage Cacharel skirt / Zara leather bag / Topshop flat sandals

Vintage Dolce & Gabbana lace shirt and skirt / Vintage Chloe vest with beaded detail / Vintage nude slip skirt (worn underneath) / Topshop patent leather lace up heels


 Clockwise;

Clockwise;
Vintage Gianni Versace Isante black lace shirt

If you would like £5 towards your first Etsy purchase click here
(Disclosure: I will receive £10 Etsy credit for every two people who use this link).

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