Dolce & Gabbana’s From the Heart to the Hands Italian Heritage,
Couture, and Handcrafted Beauty
By Josie NeJame
I had long dreamed of experiencing From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana, the landmark exhibition that debuted in Milan before traveling to Paris. It was the kind of fantasy you imagine indulging in during Fashion Week, surrounded by couture, culture, and creative electricity. Wandering through those rooms amid the glitterati rush seemed almost surreal. Imagine my excitement when I discovered that this extraordinary exhibition had arrived closer to home. All it took was a day trip to Miami.
Now open at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami through June 14, 2026, From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana brings that celebrated experience to ICA Miami’s expanded space in the heart of the Miami Design District. Curated by Florence Müller, the exhibition features more than 300 pieces spanning Alta Moda (Dolce & Gabbana’s couture womenswear), Alta Sartoria ( bespoke menswear) , and Alta Gioielleria ( high jewelry) , drawn from both archival and new collections. Newly conceived for Miami, the presentation feels as fashionable as it is cultural, with visitors arriving dressed in their best Dolce&Gabbana looks to take it all in.
A Breathtaking Beginning
The very first room quite literally took my breath away. It’s one thing to admire Dolce&Gabbana’s craftsmanship in photographs; it’s another to encounter it beneath the gaze of the paintings by Anh Duong, whose work creates an intimate dialogue between art and fashion. Standing inches from the garments, you begin to understand the true integrity of fatto a mano( made by hand). It’s the handmade excellence that defines the house. The meticulous beading, the precision of the embroidery, the extraordinary storytelling woven into every couture piece. Surrounded by art, the room feels both intimate and theatrical, as if you’ve stepped into a living canvas where fashion and painting converse in quiet harmony. Then you look up. Above the garments, a mirrored ceiling reflects the creations below, moving gently in rhythm with the sound of a heartbeat. It’s a powerful, emotional detail. It’s one that reminds you that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana founded their maison on love. That heartbeat becomes the pulse of the exhibition itself, grounding the spectacle in something deeply human. From the very beginning, it’s clear this is not a traditional fashion retrospective; it is a love story told through craft.
A journey through sound, scent, & story
What makes From the Heart to the Hands so immersive is that each room carries its own scent and sound, subtly guiding visitors from one chapter to the next. You don’t simply see the collections, you feel them. Every space has a distinct mood and atmosphere, allowing you to move through the exhibition as if turning the pages of a richly illustrated book. The journey unfolds across thematic rooms that chart the designers’ creative universe: Handmade, Architectural and Pictorial, Dream of Divinity, Divine Mosaics, The Leopard, Devotion, Sicilian Traditions, White Baroque, The Art and Craft of Glass working, Rome: Eternal Beauty, In the Heart of Ancient Rome, Anatomy of Tailoring, The Art of Sardinia, Opera, In the Heart of Milan, and Ateliers, Ornaments, and Volumes. Each reveals a different facet of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s vision, moving seamlessly between devotion and sacred symbolism, architectural rigor and pictorial influence, theatrical drama, artisanal heritage, and the exuberance of Italian life. Building on the exhibition’s European presentations, the Miami iteration introduces Rome-inspired rooms presented for the first time. Drawing from the Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria collections unveiled in Rome in 2025 when Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana staged landmark shows at the Roman Forum and Castel Sant’Angelo. These galleries offer a renewed curatorial perspective on the brand’s creative universe. The garments reference ecclesiastical pageantry, imperial symbolism, and Rome’s cinematic legacy, reimagined through extraordinary hand embroidery, metallic filaments, pearls, crystals, and sculptural drapery. Together, these rooms celebrate the mastery of Italian craftsmanship while evoking Rome’s layered history as both sacred and spectacular.
A love letter to Italian culture & the abiding spirit of la dolce vita
At its heart, this exhibition reads as a love letter to Italian culture. It’s one written not in words, but in silk, embroidery, glass, gold, and gesture. As the exhibition underscores, the creations of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are rooted in the abiding spirit of la dolce vita. It’s a way of life defined by beauty, ritual, pleasure, devotion, and an unapologetic embrace of emotion. Italy is not presented here as nostalgia, but as a living source of inspiration. Art, architecture, folklore, opera, cinema, and regional craftsmanship are continuously reimagined through a contemporary lens, allowing tradition to feel vibrant rather than preserved.
“There are fashion moments you admire from afar and then there are the ones you’ve been waiting to step inside.”
This is Italian fashion heritage as feeling: dramatic yet joyful, sensual yet sacred, refined yet exuberant. While every visitor will have their own favorite moments, the room that stayed with me most was Sicilian Traditions. The energy shifts the instant you step inside. The space is vibrant and bursting with color, pattern, and movement. Drawing inspiration from Sicily’s ceramics, folklore, ceremonial carts, and ancestral traditions, the room feels joyful, expressive, and full of soul. Perhaps that’s why it resonated so personally. Sicily holds a special place in my heart, and standing there immediately transported me back, to memories of my family holiday at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina. This iconic Sicilian sanctuary displayed Dolce&Gabbana’s iconic motifs everywhere. From pool scapes to plates and even ice cream cups, those familiar patterns are woven into daily life against the backdrop of the sea. In Miami, I smiled at the realization that those same motifs now appear in my own home on my espresso machine. It’s proof of how seamlessly Dolce&Gabbana’s aesthetic moves from couture to a lived experience.
Ultimately, From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana stands as a defining luxury fashion exhibition in Miami, celebrating what happens when imagination, emotion, and Italian artisanal mastery come together. It honors the intelligence of the hands, the power of tradition, and the enduring influence of Italian culture. It reminds us that fashion, at its most ambitious, is meant to be felt as much as it is seen. Seeing this exhibition at ICA Miami feels like a gift. It brings a world-class couture experience within reach, inviting visitors to step inside Dolce&Gabbana’s universe without crossing an ocean. Everyone can experience, room by room, the very essence of la dolce vita.
ICA Miami
23 NE 41st Street, Miami, FL 33137
miami.dolcegabbanaexhibition.com
