What's Up with Stef & Dom?

Unbelievably, I'm just now getting around to checking out a lot of the collections that went down the runway in October for S/S 2008. (It's been a busy fall.) I went though the Dolce & Gabbana collection the other day and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. The last few seasons have seen Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana moving away from their Italian sex goddess/high class hooker vibe of years past and toward some really lovely and wearable clothes.

A SERIOUS mis-step from 2000

There was a whole section of some rather glorious floral prints with a very painterly look about them and very UN-extreme, not-tarty-at-all shapes.

(I adore the layer of sheer over the dress. I am all about the tulle, baby! They did it last season, too, and I was bananas about it then, as well.)

Quite beautiful, aren't they? I'd be thrilled to wear this dress:

As a matter of fact, it was all so... strangely demure I found myself wondering what was up with Stef and Dom. But then I saw these

(Is it just me, or does it bug anyone else when you can see a person's bellybutton through her clothes?)

and recovered my bearings. These are more what I think of when I think of D&G. Not trashy by a long shot, but definitely sexy. I betcha Sharon Stone shows up on some red carpet somewhere in one of these (and I'll bet her underpinnings are tragically wrong when she does).

But the more I looked at this collection, the more the fog parted and I realized what was bothering me. The whole thing looks like it was guest-designed by other people. Like Stef & Dom were too busy getting oiled up with various half-naked (and fully naked) models

and... um... the Pope?
(photos by Steven Klein for W magazine)

to actually get a collection together, so they called in a bunch of their buddies to come over, toss back a few bottles of chianti, and do the fashion show version of an Exquisite Corpse.

They called Nicholas Ghesquiere...

D&G S/S 2008

Balenciaga S/S 2008

And they got a little help from Rachel Roy...

D&G S/S 2008

Rachel Roy S/S 2008

Raf Simons came over & lent a hand...

D&G

Jil Sander S/S 2008

Miuccia Prada stopped by, had a little drink, whipped up a little somethin'...

D&G

Miu Miu F/W 2007

Alexander McQueen made a contribution...

D&G

Alexander McQueen S/S 2007

And even John Galliano pitched in -- wherever does he find the time???

D&G

I actually find this a little Galliano meets Rei Kawakubo. Must've been some party, huh?

Comme des Garçons S/S 2007

Christian Dior Haute Couture F/W 2007

I probably shouldn't quibble, because it is a very lovely collection, full of clothes that I'd be happy to have in my closet. Really, it's hard to argue with a dress as beautiful as this:

But, hey! It's what I do. Professional Quibbler. Says so right here on my business card.

Photos: Style.com, Wmagazine.com