Dolce and Gabbana take Napoli for new Fall campaign

For the past few years, a Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign has become, well, quite boring. Of course the central focus is always on the traditional Italian family, grandparents and babies in tow, usually frolicking by the sea, sitting down an old Sicilian street laughing or eating spaghetti in a quaint courtyard. However for their fall 2016/17 campaign, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have mixed things up - a lot is seems. So much so, they're even advertising other brands in their photographs - look out for a Louis Vuitton scarf and Armani handbag in the final photos.

So why this rather uncharacteristic change of direction? It's all down to war photographer Franco Pagetti who was asked especially to shoot the D&G campaign. A very odd choice considering his lack of fashion knowledge or any knowledge about Dolce and Gabbana for that matter; Pagetti insisted on not only shooting the models but real people too. Shot in the culturally rich streets of Naples, normal members of the public joined in on the shoot even though they weren't decked out in Dolce gear (that's where the other designer wear came from!) Dolce and Gabbana had given Pagetti full freedom when shooting, with no make up artists or assistants hovering around him, while a few model faces did pop up in front of the lens such as Bianca Balti, Sasha Kichigina, Cong He, Mayowa Nicholas and other Dolce faves. "We are in the picturesque cobbled streets of Spaccanapoli – with arcs of drying laundry hung between windows above us – in a neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone and everything," the brand explain on their website.

I love that Dolce shoot their campaigns in different Italian locations each season. They really are an amazing travel brochure for Italy! One season it's Sicily, the next Capri, maybe Milan and now Naples - a city rich with history and heritage. There really is no beating a cobbled Italian side street for this designer duo. "We're here in Naples because we think these people are the best people in the world. Very strong. With unlimited heart," Dolce stated on their Facebook page."It is still like the 1950s here, in a way. This is a place that hasn't lost its roots and we appreciate that."

I have to say this isn't one of my favourite D&G campaigns, with my all time favourite still being the stunning Spring/summer 2011 collection (which you can see in full on the blog). However, for fall 2016 all the classic Dolce characteristics are visually clear in the ad campaign. Queue dancing grandmas, hot Italian men in suits and lots of laughter. Take a look at the pictures below and taste a snippet of la Dolce Vita.

Need reminding of the collection? Watch the magical womenwear show again...