Dolce&Gabbana (april 2003)

Domenico Dolce, 44, and Stefano Gabbana, 40, the duo behind the Italian design empire Dolce & Gabbana, are so revered that supermodels leap out of bed for their catwalk shows. This adulationis mirrored in the front row, often occupied by Victoria Beckham and Whitney Houston. The duo also create costumes for Madonna and Kylie Minogue.
D&G: matching sacred and profane

Favourite dress: their signature guêpière (corset) dress from spring/summer 1990. "The guêpière dress is the quintessence of the Dolce & Gabbana style," says the duo. " We like to match the sacred and profane elements, the guêpière and the rosary, with the handicraft tradition [a handmade crochet shawl] and extremely high heels."
Guêpière dress, 1990

Favourite fashion icons: Madonna and the late Italian actress Anna Magnani.

Favourite beauty product: lipstick.

Favourite accessory: a diamond cross necklace.

Favourite fashion colour: black.

Favourite clothes: jeans.

Favourite film: the 1963 drama, Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale.

Favourite book: I Love Shopping by Sophie Kinsella.

Favourite musician: Madonna. "But, we listen to any kind of music, from classical to pop."

Favourite shop: furniture manufacturers Cappellini in Via Statuto, and fashion store Fiorucci in Piazza San Babila, both in Milan.

Favourite food: "Pasta," says Dolce, "because it allows you to express your creativity even when you are cooking." Gabbana loves aubergines, "because they are a versatile vegetable, which can be cooked in 1,000 ways."

Favourite restaurant: modern Japanese eatery Nobu in London and New York.

Favourite holiday destination: their home in the Aeolian Island of Stromboli. "We adore the sea, the volcano and the scents of the Mediterranean."

Favourite places in the world: New York, says Dolce; London, says Gabbana.