Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana stands out for treating fashion as drama: tailoring, black lace, ornate prints and a very Italian sense of display run through its clothes, shoes, bags and fragrance lines. The brand is strongest when it is unapologetically itself, because the point is not quiet versatility but a sharply styled, recognisable look. That also means the ceiling is clear: it can feel excessive, expensive-looking and a bit self-conscious if someone wants understatement. In practice it is a house for people who like the room to notice the outfit. By our assessment, it sits near the loud end of luxury, closer to decorated glamour than to minimal fashion, and that is exactly why its fans reach for it. It is not the place for clean restraint, but it knows its own language well.