City of Style
Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana always look to London for inspiration--whether it's in fashion, home furnishings or food
By Marion Hume
Fall 2005 Style & Design
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's love affair with London is almost
as long-lived as their 20-year-old business. They first visited the city
in 1988 and have lost count of the number of trips to the place they
call "our inexhaustible source of inspiration."
"The English have a unique taste and the ability of interpreting fashion
in an absolutely creative way," says Dolce. "We love to go around the
little vintage markets, the restaurants, the clubs and the streets in
search of ideas." Gabbana cites the "young and funky" St Martins Lane
Hotel at the nexus of Soho and Covent Garden. For Dolce it's either the
Metropolitan on Park Lane, where "having a classic like Nobu at hand is
definitely an advantage, especially as room service," or the Sanderson
for its pretty garden.
Favorite stores include Harrods and Rellik, the West London vintage shop
where they have unearthed fabulous pieces by designers like Zandra
Rhodes, Ossie Clark and Vivienne Westwood. Smythson on New Bond Street
is a must for personalized stationery, "for gifts when you want to make
a good impression," says Gabbana. Another Gabbana must is jeweler Theo
Fennell, for the "famous diamond keys to wear around your neck." Dolce
likes the Conran Shop for one-of-a-kind designer pieces.
At dinnertime, the two pick Locanda Locatelli. "It's strange," says
Gabbana, "but we often eat Italian when in London. This great restaurant
would be one of the best even in Italy." Not that they don't tantalize
their taste buds with the food of other cultures: Hakkasan is their pick
for lemon chicken, white shark soup and fried crab. Zuma is, says Dolce,
"the best Japanese restaurant we know." For North African flavor, the
duo heads to Momo, where they adore the wild ambiance. Their dinner
guests can be as eclectic as their palate, with Linda Evangelista, Bryan
Adams and Victoria Beckham around the table.
Trust this pair to know the club scene. The Shadow Lounge is, Gabbana
says, "the reference point for the city's social life, gay or not, and
absolutely glamorous." Not that he claims to have "discovered" it.
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