Madonna is the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring / Summer 2010 Collection and, in pictures released in this week’s Italian edition of Vanity Fair, she is washing dishes, preparing food and eating spaghetti with her hands. The photos, in black and white, were inspired by the 1951 Luchino Visconti film, Bellissima, starring Anna Magnani and were shot in New York City in November by Steven Klein.
Anna Magnani [1908 – 1973] was known as the “she-wolf” of Italian cinema for she was “passionate, fearless and exciting” though she was a serious actress who won an Oscar for The Rose Tattoo [1955]. She often played “passionate, earthy women”. Perhaps it was these qualities that Dolce & Gabbana saw in Madonna, who is said to be knowledgeable about Italian cinema.
Stefano Gabbana is from Venice and Domenico Dolce is Sicilian.
Dolce worked in his father’s company after studying fashion design whilst Gabbana studied graphic design and gained fashion experience in Milan. The pair first met there in 1980. They showed their first women’s collection in 1985 and said that they had been inspired by Anna Magnani and Sophia Loren – both undeniably curvy women, as is Madonna. Dolce and Gabbana gained a reputation for making women look “incredibly sexy” and soon they were designing for Madonna’s world tours and for other celebrities. By 2005 D&G’s turnover was 750 million euros.
When asked if Madonna has any idea how to wash dishes, Stefano Gabbana replied, “Of course. She’s a very practical woman.”
As to whether the star eats spaghetti he assures us, “She can allow herself to, with all the exercise she does!”
Buon appetito, Madonna.
Do you think Madonna looks the part? [A poor Italian housewife].
Have you ever eaten pasta with your hands?
