Impressions of a magical visit to a fashion wonderland
- Lea Passi Even
- Jul 10
- 5 min read
or in other words:
A Journey Through the Dolce & Gabbana Exhibition "Dal Cuore alle Mani", Palazzo delle Esposizioni Rome
After more than two years of not being able to bring myself to writing, ever since the war in Israel cast its shadow over every creative space, I’m returning to this blog. I chose to return through this wonderful exhibition that I was very fortunate to attend, and a place where fashion meets memory: "Dal Cuore alle Mani" by Dolce & Gabbana, in the heart of Rome.
Here are some random pictures from several rooms
This isn’t just a fashion show - it’s an emotional statement, almost physical, about how we create from the heart and express it with our hands.
Out of all the places they could have chosen, the designers selected a majestic neoclassical palace from the 19th century, right in central Rome.
The choice isn’t accidental: this space is symmetrical, elegant - marble columns, high ceilings, and white arches that guide your eyes up and down - like a living body of time and culture.
As a hand craft person, a leather bag designer, I was moved by the parallels between this building and the layers of a handmade garment or accessory. Every fold, every stitch, every choice tells a story, just like crafting a bag - this building was constructed through layers of planning, imagination, and careful execution that stands the test of time.
Here are some pictures of very creative, not sure if practical , bags and shoes
From the Heart to the Hands – indeed
The exhibition showcases over 200 pieces from the world of Alta Moda, theatrical gowns, embroidery, jewelry, sketches, video art - all part of an intimate story of inspiration.
Some examples
What’s special about Dolce & Gabbana’s approach, is their deep connection to Italian culture. Several of the 22 rooms are dedicated to opera, Sicilian architecture, music, Italian cinema. And every single item, including the leather pieces, is handmade - just like in the past.
The title feels like a motto for life - one that will resonate with any creator. Whether we’re making, writing, or building something - it always starts in the heart. Then it flows through our hands. And finally, it arrives in the world.
Leaving the exhibition, under the warm (okay, very hot) Roman sun, I felt something open up again inside me. Not just for creating - but for writing. Maybe that’s what happens when you experience fashion not as daily wear - but as something deeply human experience.
If you happen to be in Rome this summer, don’t skip this.
And if not, maybe this post will serve as a small reminder: that the heart remembers, and the hands know.
Inside: What really happens in the exhibition
Like any truly great experience, the magic lies not only in the items themselves, but in how they’re presented. Each room in the exhibition is its own little world - a stage for a different story. And together, they form a vivid map of inspiration.
Here are a few rooms that especially stayed with me - not just for their visuals, but for how they made me feel:
The Designers’ Studio - Il Laboratorio Creativo
Perhaps the most intimate room in the entire show.
Here, the walls aren’t dressed in clothes, but in ideas. It’s a faithful recreation of the original studio: work tables, cut patterns, threads, needles, behind-the-scenes photos, early prototypes (toiles), and original sketches by Domenico and Stefano themselves.
What touched me most was not just the level of detail, but the sense that you’re allowed to peek inside a secret process. A space where dreams, childhood memories, and fantasy are slowly turned into material.
As someone who develops every bag from idea into sketch and to leather - I was deeply connected. It felt like the "delivery room" of ideas.
Watch on YouTube a short video taken by me, an some pictures here below
The Corset Room – Il Corpo come Scultura
Here, the body becomes the stage, the corset as a story of control, power, and beauty all at once.
This entire room is a game of contrasts: softness vs structure, femininity vs framework, delicate lace vs rigid metal. Gowns are displayed on almost-transparent mannequins, under gentle side lighting. The corsets are handmade, using lace, whale bones, metal ribs, exquisite embroidery. Historic pieces stand beside modern reinterpretations.
These are not just garments, they are historical statements about the female body,
and in light of corsets returning to today’s fashion, this room feels strikingly relevant.
Watch on YouTube a short video taken by me. Due to the darkness of the room it was hard to take pictures.
The Glass & Chandelier Room – Luce e Materia
One of the most poetic spaces in the exhibition.
From a high ceiling, Murano-style glass chandeliers hang like glowing constellations. Below them: garments adorned with glass details, tiny beads, or hand-blown 3D elements created by Italian glass artisans.
Here, the material becomes light. The room feels like stepping into a giant jewelry box.
What you realize is that fashion design goes far beyond clothing, it spills into spaces, into the decorative arts, and into everything that surrounds us. But always, the common thread is attention to details, and that is only possible through the patient, thoughtful work of human hands.
Watch on YouTube a short video taken by me, and some pictures
The Vibrant Sicilian Room – Il Sogno Popolare
This room? Pure joy.
The most “Dolce & Gabbana” space of all: - colorful, festive, alive. Every centimeter is bursting with life. The hand-painted floor, a refrigerator wrapped in Sicilian folklore motifs, the bold reds and greens of a marketplace, music rising up from the street to the last floor.
At the center: dresses rich with prints, beads, and explosive color, almost like a wink: fashion can be deep, joyful, and feel like home.
This was the room that made me feel at home, and smile the most. I, too, have a weakness for color, story, and textile that becomes memory.
As a designer seeking inspiration from real life, from color and material, this was my happy place.
Watch on YouTube a short video taken by me, andsome pictures I took
Final thoughts
This was not just a “fashion show.”
It was a rare glimpse into the deep dialogue between material, body, culture, and memory. A creative statement. A tribute to handmade work.
And a reminder of what travels between the heart and the hands.
If you wonder whether I purchased the exhibition book, of course I did, it is a habit of mine to buy the book of a show I love, it allows me to go back and relive the experience whenever I want!
Want to explore further?
Official Exhibition Website: roma.dolcegabbanaexhibition.com
Palazzo delle Esposizioni Exhibition Page: palazzoesposizioniroma.it
Review in Romeing (EN): romeing.it
Dolce & Gabbana on Instagram: @dolcegabbana
Official Exhibition Video: Watch here
Exhibition Book: From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce & GabbanaEdited by Florence Müller, with contributions from Franco Cologni & Alberto RoccaPublished by Rizzoli Electa, September 2024
Some quotes from the book:
“An open love letter to Italian culture … from the heart through to their realization by hand.”
“The book brings together a unique collection of Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria garments, exquisite jewelry, and archival treasures for the first time.”
Comments