Dolce & Gabbana explore DNA with star-filled cast

Milan designers are embracing women of all shapes, sizes and ages, even if the young, thin model prevailed during this week's previews for next spring and summer.

Marni's runway included women of different sizes while Dolce & Gabbana continued their embrace of models in a range of ages and sizes for their DNA runway show on Sunday.

Highlights from Sunday's show, the fifth day of previews of womenswear for next spring and summer:

Model Carla Bruni Sarkozy, centre, walks with other models as they wear creations as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

DOLCE & GABBANA PAY TRIBUTE TO HERITAGE

Dolce & Gabbana retraced their DNA by bringing back some of their most famous models: Carla Bruni in a brocade suit, Monica Belluci in a fitted polka-dot dress, Eva Herzigova in a frothy black chiffon number, and a caped Isabel Rosselilni, who walked with her children Roberto and Elettra carrying her young son.

In the brand's bid for inclusion, they sent grandmothers with granddaughters, husbands and wives, lesbian couples and curvy models, including Ashley Graham.

Model Eva Herzigova wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

Cardi B kept a careful eye on the collection from her front-row seat, taking off her animal skin-covered D&G sunglasses to take in the steady stream of flash. Her eyes stayed glued on an embroidered shawl jacket with mini-skirt, mouthing, "I like that," with a sassy shoulder shake.

The elaborate collection by Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana displayed the designers' unrivaled aptitude for over-the-top looks with a something-for-everyone range. There were pretty layered floral dresses with jeweled sandals, bejeweled biker jackets with tuxedo tails, raw jute fabrics in fringed day suits and tiered dresses in sparkly organza.

While the collection incorporated the duo's well-known motifs, including prints of the Madonna, Sicilian references and floral prints, there was also a pointed message on one netted top: "Fatto a Mano," or "handmade," to underline the commitment to craftsmanship.

A model wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

The designers also provided a subtle hint of an upcoming project for Milan and Rome: a Christmas market inside the Rinascente department stores featuring Dolce&Gabbana styled appliances and their own range of the Milan Christmas cake, panettone, with flavors from their beloved Sicily. The hints included a Santa Claus figurine carried by a model and a print that echoes the unique panettone tin.

THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING ARMANI

Giorgio Armani's collection for next spring and summer was meticulously sculptured out of iridescent, dreamy blue, gray and pink textiles that collect the light. The main point of contrast, a bright fuchsia, which has become the power color of the season in Milan.

A model wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

The looks had what the designer called "a liquid lightness," derived from a range of understated colors — save for a touch of fuchsia.

"It is all mixed and very subtle in terms of colors. The color this time gave form to the clothes," Armani said backstage.

The silhouette was elongated, often with a layer of organza that wrapped the figure or was layered over trousers for a misty effect. A plexiglass bustier gave shape to a micro-pleated dress.

A model wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

Armani continued his mastery of the jacket with fluid jackets over straight trousers, or slim-fitting leather jackets with trousers colorful water color prints, and blousons with a long layer of tulle spilling out. One dramatic cape-like jacket had exaggerated military detailing on the shoulders, worn over a shimmering organza fitted suit.

The collection had futuristic touches, from a cellophane look on footwear to mesh carryalls.

"This is a woman who wants to be noticed," the designer said. "She doesn't slink away dressed as a man."

Models wear creations as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

Armani saluted the crowd wearing a jacket and tie instead of his usual dark blue T-shirt or sweater.

"You didn't recognize me, did you?" he joked backstage.

MARNI'S WAKEUP CALL

The fashion crowd woke up early Sunday for a fashion call, only to go back to bed in the Marni showroom. Designer Francesco Risso's latest kooky seating arrangement was a series of beds in the shape of an amphitheater.

A model wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

Risso was exploring the classics in more ways than one. The silhouette was mostly classic and tailored, with edgy touches that gave the collection the air of a desperate, punk housewife. But he also incorporated elements from the ancient classical world, including prints with architectural elements — a departure from Marni's traditional florals — and jewelry shaped like the Venus de Milo.

The art was all in the construction. Skirts were swept up like a sarong, worn with off the shoulder bustiers, but with sturdy fabrics that suggest the city and not light beachy fare. Risso put a new twist on the Roman toga in sleek, form-fitting textiles. Bomber jackets had half belts sewn into the back. Full-skirted dresses had front panels, some left as a blank canvass, others with prints.

Risso included in his model casting average-size women, who made clear the collections can have a broad audience.

Models wear creations as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

Colors ranged from soft creams and yellows to louder reds and blues. Eye wear were dramatic pointy sunglasses.

MISSION CELEBRATES HERITAGE LOOKING TO FUTURE

Missoni treated the fashion crowd to a sweeping view of the new Milan skyline of skyscrapers by architects Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind to celebrate its 65th year.

Model Monica Bellucci leads other models as they wear creations as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

Creative director Angela Missoni said she chose the terrace overlooking the City Life quarter and beneath Mario Bellini's silvery sculpture "Comet," because the view represented "the most futuristic place in Milan."

"This place is a dream. This place summarizes the future," she said.

The looks for men and women were delicate in tone, weight and structure.

A model wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

For women, Angela Missoni constructed layered works, incorporating fresh detailing like tiered ruffles and braided overlays of yarn, for a playful touch. The men's looks were relaxed and functional, including kimono tops, long T-shirts and cardigans.

Model Ashley Graham wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoAntonio Calanni)

Designer Giorgio Armani, centre, poses with models at the end of his women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

Designer Giorgio Armani, centre, poses with models at the end of his women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

A model wears a creation as part of the Giorgio Armani women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

A model wears a creation as part of the Giorgio Armani women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

A model wears a creation as part of the Giorgio Armani women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

A model wears a creation as part of the Giorgio Armani women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

A model wears a creation as part of the Giorgio Armani women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

A model wears a creation as part of the Giorgio Armani women's 2019 Spring-Summer collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno)

NEW YORK (AP) — Min Jin Lee's first novel since her million-selling “Pachinko” is a long book that grew out of a basic question: What do Koreans care most about?

“We’re obsessed with education, and it became my obsession over why Koreans care so much,” says Lee, whose “American Hagwon,” scheduled for Sept. 29, will likely be one of the year's most anticipated books. Hagwons are for-profit tutoring centers — sometimes likened to “cram schools” — where Koreans of all ages receive instruction for everything from English to guitar to cooking. Any language school or organization that gives private lesson music classes” can be considered a Hagwon, Lee says.

The author, 57, calls herself an “accidental historian,” a novelist who uses broad narratives to unearth the past, make sense of the present and explore race, gender and class among other issues. “American Hagwon” is the third of a planned quartet about Korea and the Korean diaspora that began with “Free Food for Millionaires” in 2007 and continued a decade later with “Pachinko,” a National Book Award finalist that was adapted by Apple TV+ into a series and has been translated into dozens of languages.

In 2024, The New York Times ranked “Pachinko” at No. 15 among the best novels of the 21st century.

Cardinal, a Hachette Book Group imprint, is calling her new release a deep look into “what happens when the rules shift, the world order becomes suddenly unrecognizable and benchmarks of success are no longer a guarantee.” In “American Hagwon,” Lee sets her story everywhere from Korea to Australia to Southern California as she tracks the journey of a middle-class Korean family upended by the Asian financial crisis and hoping to regain its bearings.

“Almost 10 years after Pachinko, Min Jin Lee continues to give shape to history’s seismic shifts in her fiction, refracting generational change through indelible, masterfully etched characters you can’t help rooting for,” Cardinal Publisher and Senior Vice President Reagan Arthur said in a statement.

A native of Seoul whose family emigrated to New York City when she was 7, Lee attended the elite Bronx High School of Science, studied history at Yale University and law at Georgetown University. She knows well the importance of preparation, and laughs as she remembers that her father has nicknamed her “the turtle,” because she is slow — but “very steady.” Her books take a long time, in part, because she puts so much work into them. Her stories are based not just on research and reflection, but on extended travel and interviews.

“I want to hold up a mirror to society, and, as the kids say, do a ’vibe check,” she says.

FILE - Min Jin Lee attends the GQ Global Creativity Awards in New York on April 6, 2023. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)