Dolce & Gabbana debut in Paris, showing Italian artistry on French soil

PARIS (AP) — For the first time in their 40-year history, the Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana are showcasing their work in the French fashion capital. Paris, the birthplace of haute couture, now finds itself hosting a powerful Italian counterpoint to French luxury fashion.

The message, as curator Florence Müller puts it, is direct: “Yes, Italy does it too.”

The landmark exhibition, Du Coeur a la Main (From the Heart to the Hand) running from Jan. 10 to March 31, is a not only a love letter to Italian craftsmanship, but to the interconnectedness of fashion. “The story of couture is global,” Müller explained. “Embroidery, lace, brocade — they existed long before Parisian couture, in Italy, in India, and beyond.”

Spread across 1,200 square meters (1,400 square yards) of the newly refurbished Grand Palais, the exhibit showcases over 200 looks from the company's Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria collections and 300 handmade accessories, as well as objects like Sicilian ceramics. It includes 10 themed rooms that delve into the artistic roots of Dolce & Gabbana’s work.

Baroque grandeur defines the collection, unapologetically maximalist and layered with embellishments. Among the highlights is a gown inspired by Venice's Murano glass, encrusted with glass mosaics from Orsoni Venezia 1888, the glassmakers behind the golden mosaics of St. Mark's Basilica. Müller described it as “a sculpture on textile — pure craftsmanship elevated to art.”

Opera takes center stage. A black velvet gown softened by gold embellishments captures the drama of Bellini’s Norma, while a romantic blue dress for Verdi’s La Traviata flows like an aria, its tulle layers whispering love and loss. Meanwhile, icons of the brand, such as Sophia Loren and Naomi Campbell, are immortalized in giant paintings. Classical Italian opera and traditional Sicilian folk melodies provide the soundtrack, adding layers of drama.

But Du Coeur a la Main is not just about finished pieces. Five real seamstresses from Dolce & Gabbana’s Milan atelier work live during the exhibition, crafting bodices, bustiers and corsets before visitors’ eyes. “This seamstress is sewing lace to form a dress, while another is draping fabric by hand,” Müller said. “It’s extraordinary. This is not just fashion — it’s art.”

Sicily, Domenico Dolce’s birthplace, lies at the heart of the collection. Traditional Sicilian hand-painted carts, ceramics and lace-making techniques are woven into couture. Yet the exhibit also underscores fashion's often-ignored global influences.

“Luxury goods and artisans traveled more than we think,” Müller said. “The silk and brocades used at Versailles Palace came from India, and Italian artisans were hired to craft the Hall of Mirrors ... (Fashion) is constant exchanges and inspirations — this exhibit reveals what time forgot.”

Italian and French fashion have long been framed as rivals, with French conglomerates such as LVMH and Kering and Paris Fashion Week sometimes viewed as the pinnacle of the industry. But this exhibition challenges that hierarchy, showing that the two traditions are more interconnected than they are opposed. Both rely on les petites mains — "the little hands" — the artisans whose precision and passion elevate couture to art.

“The techniques may differ — Sicily’s lace traditions versus Paris’s tailoring — but the soul of couture remains the same: the human touch,” Müller said. The exhibit reveals the shared ingenuity of French and Italian ateliers, whether in a Sicilian workshop or a Parisian salon.

Even beyond couture, the exhibit highlights the breadth of “Made in Italy.” Everyday items like Smeg refrigerators and coffee presses given a D&G reworking reflect the ethos of Italian craftsmanship, transforming functional objects into canvases for artistry.

“Fashion is art. It’s meant to inspire, to dazzle, to make us dream. Whether you wear it once or never, its value is in its beauty, not its practicality,” Müller said.

When asked about hyperbole of the dazzling gowns — many of which seem impossible to wear on the street — she replies with a smile: “So what?”

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A rosary is seen on a creation displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A seamstress works on a dress during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A seamstress works on a dress during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s acting leader on Friday accepted the resignation of the chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon, as he faced police questioning over how his forces blocked law enforcement efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol last week.

The acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, also expressed regret over the clashes between law enforcement officials and the presidential security service and called for lawmakers to reach a bipartisan agreement to launch an independent investigation.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police are planning a second attempt to bring Yoon into custody as they jointly investigate whether his brief martial law declaration on Dec. 3 amounted to an attempted rebellion. The presidential security service blocked an earlier attempt to detain Yoon at his official residence, which he has not left for weeks.

It wasn’t immediately clear how Park’s resignation and Choi’s call for an independent investigation to take over the probe on Yoon would affect the push to bring Yoon into custody.

“The government has been deliberating to find a wise solution, but unfortunately, within our current legal framework, it’s difficult to find a clear resolution to end the conflict between the two agencies,” Choi said about the tensions between the anti-corruption office and presidential security service over Yoon’s potential detention.

“We urge the ruling and opposition parties to work together to agree on a bill to launch a special prosecutor investigation that is free from constitutional issues. This will naturally resolve the ongoing intense standoff.”

South Korean opposition parties on Thursday introduced a bill calling for an independent investigation into allegations of rebellion against Yoon.

An earlier bill by the opposition proposing an independent investigation was scrapped after members of Yoon’s conservative party opposed a clause allowing only opposition parties to recommend special prosecutor candidates.

The conservatives also aren't endorsing the new bill, which proposes that the Supreme Court’s chief justice recommend two candidates to Yoon, who would then select one as the special prosecutor. If Yoon refuses to appoint anyone, the older of the two candidates would automatically assume the role, according to the bill.

Park ignored two summonses before appearing for questioning on Friday over allegations of obstructing justice, a week after his forces repelled dozens of anti-corruption and police investigators from Yoon’s official residence. Park said his duty is to protect the president and warned of “bloodshed,” as critics said that his agency is becoming Yoon’s private army.

The embattled president remains holed up at his official residence in Seoul, where the presidential security service has fortified the grounds with barbed wire and rows of vehicles blocking the roads.

Yoon made a short-lived declaration of martial law and deployed troops to surround the National Assembly on Dec. 3, which lasted only hours before lawmakers managed to get through the blockade and voted to lift the measure.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14 and accused him of rebellion. His fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberating on whether to formally remove Yoon from office or reject the charges and reinstate him.

A Seoul court on Tuesday issued a new warrant to the anti-corruption agency to detain Yoon after the previous one-week warrant expired. The agency and police have not publicly disclosed how long the new warrant will remain valid.

Speaking to reporters upon arriving for police questioning, Park again criticized the efforts to detain Yoon, saying that the investigation should proceed in a manner “appropriate for the status of an incumbent president” and the “dignity of the nation.”

“Many citizens are surely deeply concerned about the possible conflict and confrontation between government agencies,” Park said. “I came here today with the belief that under no circumstances should there be any physical clashes or bloodshed, and am hoping to prevent such incidents from occurring.”

Park said he made several calls to Choi, urging him to mediate an alternative approach with law enforcement and also made similar requests to Yoon’s lawyers, but did not receive a satisfactory response. The anti-corruption agency had also criticized Choi for refusing to instruct the presidential security service to cooperate with its execution of the detainment warrant.

While the presidential security act mandates protection for Yoon, it does not authorize the service to block court-ordered detainments and some legal experts say the presidential security service’s action last week may have been illegal.

Asked in parliament about the presidential security service’s effort to block the detention, National Court Administration head Cheon Dae-yeop said Friday that “resistance without a legitimate reason can constitute a crime, such as obstruction of official duties.”

Although the president himself has wide-ranging immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason.

Yoon’s lawyers have questioned the legitimacy of the new detention warrant against Yoon issued by the Seoul Western District Court, arguing that the anti-corruption agency lacks legal authority to investigate rebellion charges or order police to detain suspects.

They also argue that detention and search warrants against Yoon cannot be enforced at his residence, citing a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge — which would be Yoon.

Yoon’s lawyers have urged the agency to either indict the president or seek a formal arrest warrant, a process that requires a court hearing. However, they have said that Yoon would only comply with an arrest warrant issued by the Seoul Central District Court, which handles most key requests in high-profile cases.

They accuse the agency of deliberately choosing another court with an allegedly favorable judge, even though the official residence is located in the jurisdiction of the Western District Court.

Security personnel walk on a road lined up with buses blocking the entrance gate of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Park Jong-joon, the chief of the presidential security service, arrives at the Joint Investigation Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Lim Hwa-young/Yonhap via AP)