159 full-color and duotone illustrations 216 pages, 4 double gatefolds 9-1/2 x 12-3/4" • Cloth ISBN 0-7892-0277-8 • $67.50

The majority of the images are in black and white, mirroring the gritty, textural cinematic influence of the neo-realistic film era which has inspired their designs. The book is highlighted by vibrant color images and quotes from friends and admirers over the past ten years, including contributions from Cindy Crawford, Madonna, Demi Moore and Luciano Pavarotti. This lavish volume presents a stunning collection of designs by Dolce & Gabbana, providing a comprehensive view of their best work over the past decade.

Introduction by Isabella Rossellini

"I saw the most innovative collection at the Milan fashion shows. It was designed by two young guys—how do you say 'sweet' in Italian?" the photographer Dominique Issermann asked me.

"Dolce," I replied.

"That's it. One is called Dolce, the other something else. I cannot remember. Their clothes are very Italian, very inspired by Sicily."

"Sicily" and "innovative" struck me. Those are two words that generally don't go together. Sicily is the land of the old world, where the most ancient traditions are still alive: virgins, vendettas, widows and omertà. Fashion goes with vanity, seduction, lightness, but any explicit sign of any of those is condemned by the old Sicilian rules. We all know, though, that nothing and nobody can put a lid on such things as seduction, attraction, and appeal. They find a way out of any black dress, out of any buttoned-up blouse, out of any severe social morals, and Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana communicated these escapes to freedom with their clothes.

The first piece I wore from their collection was a white shirt, very chaste with a beautiful handmade embroidered collar. But the shirt was purposefully cut to make my breasts look as if they would burst out of it. It was Domenico and Stefano underlining and revealing a very Italian way of seduction. The unspoken, inexplicit message of the women that states, "No matter how hard we try, our bodies are so voluptuous they cannot be contained in any clothes."

The first time I met Domenico and Stefano was two years after their debut at the "new talent" fashion show at the Milan Collections. Steven Meisel, who was to photograph their campaign at the time, thought of me to be the model. When I met them, I felt that warmth one senses when one has found new friends. The conversation went fast; references bounced like Ping-Pong balls: Visconti, De Sica, "Golden Naples," Sophia Loren, Totò, Magnani, "Open City"...that was so much my background. Actually it's more. It's my family. My dad, Roberto Rossellini, is considered one of the fathers of "neo-realism," and Domenico and Stefano's clothes are inspired by these films.

Through their irony and sense of humor they shed a new light on the Italian attitudes I fled from, such as religious bigotry and machismo. I wear their elegant double-breasted pin-striped suit, typically the greatest symbol of machismo, because the back of Dolce & Gabbana's vest is made of delicate black lace like women's panties. This detail is not a contradiction that has the power equivalent of a slap in the face to machismo. And, around my neck, I wear the rosary Dolce & Gabbana has made into a necklace. It adds a touch of sacreligious bigoty that appeals to me. Their fashion challenges even the category of "Feminine versus Masculine," blending them together to create new romantic figures.

I love to see Domenico's family at the shows gesturing with their hands for good luck and, I also suspect, saying a silent prayer to the Madonna or some saint. I love Stefano's family, who brings the sophistication of the north. Italy, divided between north and south, has become one country as Garibaldi had wished when it comes to Dolce & Gabbana. Wearing Dolce & Gabbana is like listening to a piece of music that evokes memories, emotions, different moods and erergies.