Domenico Dolce swoops by, delivering a quick hello here and a handshake there. He's slightly anxious as he makes last-minute adjustments to his fleet of chiselled models backstage at the D&G men's show in Milan. Not far away, the dapper and perpetually tanned Stefano Gabbana is reclining in a sofa. He motions to a butler who offers a drink served in a goblet on a platter.
Welcome to the beautiful world of Dolce and Gabbana.
The brand is one of fashion's most enduring success stories. Sicilian-born Dolce is shy and detail-focused, with a fashion sense inherited from his tailor father and a deep-rooted Sicilian pride, evident in their recent collection. Milanese Gabbana is outspoken and funny with a love for patterns and Baroque aesthetics; and an instinctive eye for trends.
They met in the 1980s, and today their partnership is stronger than ever. 'Before it was just a love affair but now we are more than best friends. He knows everything about me and I about him,' says Gabbana. 'We love each other.'
Dolce (52) and Gabbana (49) still holiday together. Each has their respective boyfriend now, and Gabbana says it's like a family: 'Sometimes we fight, yes, but the most important thing is that we can make it together.'
'It's been the same since we started,' Dolce adds. 'We are different personalities. We discuss and in the end the concept has to be a shared one. If not, we find another.'