Paolo Penko for Dolce & Gabbana

The Crown of Cosimo I, his Sceptre, the Golden Fleece and a Medici Brooch.

Our jewellery among the works that adorned the dresses of the Florentine fashion show

On September 2nd, 2020, in the Salone dei Cinquecento of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, the fashion show of the new Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria Uomo collection was staged: an event that paid homage to the Florentine Renaissance and its craftsmen. Four of our jewels walked the catwalk, coordinated with two of the maison’s suits.

The Grand Ducal Crown of Cosimo I, previously on display from 13 December 2019 to 31 August 2020 in the Sala delle Udienze in Palazzo Vecchio, was the star of the fashion show’s launch garment, inspired precisely by the first Florentine Grand Duke. The Crown, the result of more than a thousand hours of work, was worn by model Amerigo Valenti. Accompanying it were the other two symbols of Medici power, the Sceptre and the Golden Fleece, which enhanced the beautiful robe made from the gold fabric with red lilies of the Antico Setificio Fiorentino.

The “Medicean Rings” brooch was specially created for the parade. It reproduces one of the favourite symbols of the Medici family and follows a perfect Renaissance style. The design of the jewel was chosen directly with the designer Domenico Dolce and studied by the brothers Alessandro and Riccardo Penko.

The three stones have been specially cut for the jewel: they are iolite, a stone known as ‘water sapphire’, whose shade of blue tending towards violet is unique and unmistakable. A hundred brilliant-cut sapphires are set at the base of the points. The entire silver surface, including the reverse side and the edges, is decorated with the traditional burin engraving of whirls and scrolls, while the yellow gold is embellished with the unique penkato technique.

The large brooch adorned the garment worn by model Matteo Guidarelli, whose fabrics with Renaissance weaves, “Veronese” brocade and “ring” brocade, are the work of the Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio. Completing the outfit are shoes by Vivian Saskia Wittmer and a clutch-bag in Florentine mosaic by the Scarpelli Mosaici masters.

The “Renaissance and Rebirth” was the theme of Dolce & Gabbana’s fashion show that exalted Florence and its craftsmanship of excellence. The event involved 38 artisan workshops, whose work contributed to the outfits of the haute couture shows, raising craftsmanship to the status of the Made in Italy flag in the world.

“We have always looked at the Florentine Renaissance and its protagonists with great admiration. The arts, culture and knowledge reached such a level of excellence in that period that they continue to be taken as a model of perfection to this day,” commented Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, “If we look at the works of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli or Piero della Francesca, to name but a few, we cannot help but be enchanted, even though more than five centuries have passed since their execution. The eternal beauty enclosed in these masterpieces is so unique that there are no words to describe it’.

On the occasion of the event, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana wanted to create a limited edition book about the artisans and garments they worked on in the Alta Sartoria Uomo fashion show, which took place in the Salone dei Cinquecento, on a beautiful catwalk in the shape of a Florentine lily, surrounded by Vasari’s frescoes.