Dolce & Gabbana launching debut couture line

By Saeeda Zaib 
Trends Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

Dolce & Gabbana will showcase a small collection of couture clothing for the first time July 9, following in the footsteps of fellow Italian houses to embrace the higher end of the market such as Armani and Versace.

Following recent rumors on the matter, the label confirmed June 27 that it will present its couture creations to a small group of clients next month in Taormina, Sicily.

Sources are cited on FT.com as saying the brand had been keen to explore couture for some time due to the "artistic challenge."

The designers have been increasingly creating exclusive and unique gowns for celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, who wore one of their creations to the Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York earlier this year.

The unveiling will be very low-key though, taking place far away from the classic setting of Paris, where the French couture tradition is headquartered.

Dolce & Gabbana's decision to concentrate on its mainline and couture -- the lower-priced D&G line was closed last year -- echoes a similar mood among other Italian labels.

Atelier Versace gave its first couture presentation in eight years at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week back in January, and will return to the couture catwalk with a runway show at the Ritz Paris July 1 -- day one of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.

Armani launched its Armani Privé couture line back in 2005, and will show its Fall/Winter 2012 couture collection July 3 in the French capital. Other labels appearing during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week (July 1-5) include Valentino, Chanel and Givenchy.