Dolce & Gabbana debut in Paris, showing Italian artistry on French soil

PARIS (AP) — For the first time in their 40-year history, the Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana are showcasing their work in the French fashion capital. Paris, the birthplace of haute couture, now finds itself hosting a powerful Italian counterpoint to French luxury fashion.

The message, as curator Florence Müller puts it, is direct: “Yes, Italy does it too.”

The landmark exhibition, Du Coeur a la Main (From the Heart to the Hand) running from Jan. 10 to March 31, is a not only a love letter to Italian craftsmanship, but to the interconnectedness of fashion. “The story of couture is global,” Müller explained. “Embroidery, lace, brocade — they existed long before Parisian couture, in Italy, in India, and beyond.”

Spread across 1,200 square meters (1,400 square yards) of the newly refurbished Grand Palais, the exhibit showcases over 200 looks from the company's Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria collections and 300 handmade accessories, as well as objects like Sicilian ceramics. It includes 10 themed rooms that delve into the artistic roots of Dolce & Gabbana’s work.

Baroque grandeur defines the collection, unapologetically maximalist and layered with embellishments. Among the highlights is a gown inspired by Venice's Murano glass, encrusted with glass mosaics from Orsoni Venezia 1888, the glassmakers behind the golden mosaics of St. Mark's Basilica. Müller described it as “a sculpture on textile — pure craftsmanship elevated to art.”

Opera takes center stage. A black velvet gown softened by gold embellishments captures the drama of Bellini’s Norma, while a romantic blue dress for Verdi’s La Traviata flows like an aria, its tulle layers whispering love and loss. Meanwhile, icons of the brand, such as Sophia Loren and Naomi Campbell, are immortalized in giant paintings. Classical Italian opera and traditional Sicilian folk melodies provide the soundtrack, adding layers of drama.

But Du Coeur a la Main is not just about finished pieces. Five real seamstresses from Dolce & Gabbana’s Milan atelier work live during the exhibition, crafting bodices, bustiers and corsets before visitors’ eyes. “This seamstress is sewing lace to form a dress, while another is draping fabric by hand,” Müller said. “It’s extraordinary. This is not just fashion — it’s art.”

Sicily, Domenico Dolce’s birthplace, lies at the heart of the collection. Traditional Sicilian hand-painted carts, ceramics and lace-making techniques are woven into couture. Yet the exhibit also underscores fashion's often-ignored global influences.

“Luxury goods and artisans traveled more than we think,” Müller said. “The silk and brocades used at Versailles Palace came from India, and Italian artisans were hired to craft the Hall of Mirrors ... (Fashion) is constant exchanges and inspirations — this exhibit reveals what time forgot.”

Italian and French fashion have long been framed as rivals, with French conglomerates such as LVMH and Kering and Paris Fashion Week sometimes viewed as the pinnacle of the industry. But this exhibition challenges that hierarchy, showing that the two traditions are more interconnected than they are opposed. Both rely on les petites mains — "the little hands" — the artisans whose precision and passion elevate couture to art.

“The techniques may differ — Sicily’s lace traditions versus Paris’s tailoring — but the soul of couture remains the same: the human touch,” Müller said. The exhibit reveals the shared ingenuity of French and Italian ateliers, whether in a Sicilian workshop or a Parisian salon.

Even beyond couture, the exhibit highlights the breadth of “Made in Italy.” Everyday items like Smeg refrigerators and coffee presses given a D&G reworking reflect the ethos of Italian craftsmanship, transforming functional objects into canvases for artistry.

“Fashion is art. It’s meant to inspire, to dazzle, to make us dream. Whether you wear it once or never, its value is in its beauty, not its practicality,” Müller said.

When asked about hyperbole of the dazzling gowns — many of which seem impossible to wear on the street — she replies with a smile: “So what?”

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A rosary is seen on a creation displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A seamstress works on a dress during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A seamstress works on a dress during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.

In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.

Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.

But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.

“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.

People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.

More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .

“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.

Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.

While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.

“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.

Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”

The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)