Dolce & Gabbana’s spring 1993 collection was shown on October 4, 1992, in Milan.
On a rainy Sunday in Milan police were called to keep the crowds under control outside of the venue where Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana would present their spring 1993 collection. Though still a relatively new brand, the duo was known for casting supermodels on the runway and in their marvelous Steven Meisel–lensed ad campaigns, and this season the likes of Cindy, Naomi, and Linda all turned up to walk. The Material Girl Madonna herself was also in town and attended the show, much to the delight of the paparazzi.
Dressed in a pinstripe suit accessorized with a beret and spectacles, Madonna channeled both Bonnie and Clyde, but the vibe on the runway might be described as patchouli-scented Grand Tour. Though some models were dressed like dandies and pirates, the prevailing aesthetic was “rich hippie.” Botticelli paintings were collaged together and covered in pearls; Liberty-style florals were appliquéd with lace; hats dripped with feathers; and sari fabrics were used for suiting.
In New York the spring 1993 season is remembered for grunge, which built on the alt-American music scene in Seattle. Dolce & Gabbana’s happy potpourri of influences was similarly eclectic but had roots in Europe and touched on high art and rustic traditions. And it spoke to nostalgic and escapist longings. Writing in Vogue in 1992, Kate Betts stated that as “war rages a mere whistle-stop away in Bosnia, and governments in Europe, plagued by scandal and corruption, fall apart, it’s no coincidence that fashion is in a state of upheaval too. ‘In Italy now, everyone wants change; we want something clean and innocent,’ explained Gabbana.”
Twenty-eight years on, Dolce and Gabbana riffed on this spring 1993 collection as they prepared their new one for spring 2021. The world is again in turmoil, and change is at the top of the global agenda. This time around there is comfort in the pair’s patching of fabric and in the knitting together of past and present.
