Let's Discuss Dolce And Gabbana Being Sentenced To Prison For Tax Evasion
Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce.
Photo: Getty Images
As they used to say in the olden days, "Can't ban the taxman." D&G masterminds Domenico Dolce and Steffano Gabbana were found guilty of tax evasion yesterday in a Milan court and each sentenced for one year and eight months in prison. Sound like a harsh sentence? Wellll... the judge ruled that they owe the Italian government over 40 million Euros—that's around $53 million US. Clearly it wasn't like they were fudging expensed lunches on their return or stuffing dollars from the D&G outpost stores into their mattress (unless they're living on that XXL Kenzo Sofitel jammer, in which case, holler!). It's a complex ruling in which the storied designers and their company were found to have not reported earnings from a D&G offshoot based in Luxembourg, which prosecutor Laura Pedio said, "It was a very elaborate (use of an offshore company) that appeared legal, but was illegal," according to CNN. "Their attorney, Massimo Dinoia, plans to appeal the charges, saying that "Dolce and Gabbana will not go to jail now or ever."
The chances of the designing duo actually serving time seems slim, considering their power and connections, but who knows. At the very least, it'll be interesting to see what this means for the line, which has been controversial for its retrograde colonialist imagery but has still had some immense high points—if we had to pick two, it's definitely Giovanna Battaglia's last two Met Gala ensembles, in which she did gilded princess and Our Lady of Frida Kahlo, respectively. (UGH! THE NEEDLEPOINT JESUS HEART! UGH!)
Whatever happens, it all used to be so simple! Remember our House of Style segment in '93, when host/goddess/super Cindy Crawford hit up a D&G fitting in Milan (wearing an Arden Wohl headband and a bondage choker!). She calls Dolce "the bald one" and goes "What's with the headbands?" To which the bald one responds, "Hippy dippy chic." That season they sent a slew of haute pantsuits down the runway with velvety Dr. Seuss hats and PERFECT strappy platforms, a sort of post-"Like a Prayer" homage to their friend Madonna, who shows up in the video too. It's filled with their career-spanning signature crowns, too, evidence they've always thought of women as princesses. Watch it here; it's so good, we wanna send a time traveling homing pigeon back to let them know to STAY AWAY FROM LUXEMBOURG!
+ WATCH DOLCE & GABBANA ON 'HOUSE OF STYLE' BELOW
