"Do you mind if we keep the air conditioning off?" asks Domenico Dolce, gesturing towards the French doors of his villa where gauzy curtains flutter in the warm air. "Stefano is sick and hates a/c," Dolce explains.
As if on cue, the second half of this legendary design duo appears, clutching a pack of Marlboro Reds and exclaiming: "I am sick!"
Pity poor Stefano Gabbana. Four days into a week-long vacation in Dubai - a favourite destination for the designers, who have been here five times already - and he's only just recovering from a cold.
"I can't taste or smell," the lanky designer adds as he lights up. But that hasn't stopped him or his partner in design (the two quietly split as a couple three years ago) from enjoying the city.
"We love Dubai because it's a strange mix of Miami, Las Vegas, Monte Carlo. It's a strange city. The weather is beautiful, you take the sun during the day, you go shopping in the afternoon, there are great restaurants, nice clubs…" Gabbana dreamily recites.
But it's not always the easy life for Dolce and Gabbana, helming one of the world's biggest fashion brands, which now covers everything from cutting-edge women's and men's wear to street style (the D&G label), kids' clothes, perfume and eyewear.
"People think I party and I'm in Portofino all the time," says Gabbana, causing Dolce to burst into laughter (as he is hilariously prone to, judging from this interview). "We're working everyday!" Dolce exclaims.
"There is the moment to be a star, and there's the moment to be normal," adds Gabbana seriously.
Talk, talk
D&G are on rare break from the intense fashion merry-go-round that is Milan, a circus they've been part of for the best part of 25 years now - always together.
"A whole life," says Dolce. "Maybe two lives." And as you'd expect from two people who have been working together - closely - for a quarter century, there are as many occasions where they finish each other's sentences as there are arguments.
"Seventy per cent of the job together is talk," says Gabbana.
"We decide in the beginning on themes. He works alone, and I sketch alone. One day a week, we put the ideas together and say, ‘I love it!'-‘Yes,'-‘No,'-‘Yes'-‘Ah - this is good,'-‘No!'"
"It's very strange - no, not strange, it's funny," says Dolce. "It's like a puzzle, trying to find the right piece to fit..."
This is the utterly charming way in which D&G converse, breaking off in Italian every few sentences to better express those ideas which seem to be incessantly bubbling over.
And it carries over into their style of working, a constant back and forth that has created some of the most iconic designs of the last 20 years.
"Anything is possible, says Dolce. "After a lot of years, my feeling is that, if I'm sure about my idea, we have to fight sometimes. It's not yes, yes, yes all the time. So sometimes there's a clash-"
"A FIGHT! Many fights, for miniskirts, for trousers, for proportion, a shoulder," Gabbana adds.
Dolce concedes. "Without a fight, it's not possible. I don't understand how designers work alone. When I work alone, without him, I ask my questions… to no-one. For me, it's impossible to sketch a collection alone."
Gabbana struggles to put his finger on the duo's intricate style of working, although something between Jack Sprat and his wife and the Odd Couple would be about right. "Sometimes we work together, sometimes we split," says Gabbana.
"It's not easy to explain." Gesturing to Dolce, he continues: "He loves to work more for men's wear - and not in D&G!"
Dolce laughs. "Honestly, after many years you understand what you love, and what he loves -"
"He doesn't like doing interviews," Gabbana laughs.
"I prefer working with the tailor," sniggers Dolce. "You like working with the glasses, because you have more… vision."
Gabbana turns serious again. "But never alone, because I ask him all the time, ‘this is what I think, this is what I like, what do you think?' And you'll say ‘no, maybe don't do the silver, do the gold.' It's more interesting. All the time we're in conflict."
Hotspots
They were on holiday here in Dubai at their favourite spot, the One&Only Royal Mirage. But where else do they like to kick back?
Stefano Gabbana: In Summer, I spend my holidays on board of my yacht, Regina d'Italia, wandering around the Mediterranean without any destination. In winter, I often go to the Maldives or here in Dubai.
Dolce: I spend a lot of time in one of our homes in Portofino, Stromboli or Roquebrune, together with our families and best friends.
D&G's Milan
"To tell you the truth, I do not go out as often as it might seem," says Gabbana.
"When I don't work, I like spending time with my friends and I invite them over for dinner at home. Following the same philosophy that led us to create our fashion collections, we can say that we created our favourite spots. Gold and Martini Bar are but this: our ideal restaurant and bar. As an alternative, we love some historical Milanese places such as St Ambreus or other unknown ones that we like to discover time after time."
Dolce agrees. "Although I like to go out a little bit more. While in Milan, I go often to a disco called The Club with my friends."
Party - D&G style
The designers are as famous for their parties as they are for their dresses.
Most recently, the two held the launch for their new men's fragrance, The One, revealing the face of the scent: Texas tough-guy Matthew McConaughey.
The sparkling event was held at the Ian-Schrager-designed Gramercy Park Hotel, where the Julian Schnabel artwork inspired the duo's summer "painted" collection. But what makes a good D&G party?
Domenico Dolce: We are involved in every aspect that concerns our company, thus also as far as parties are concerned. Of course, we have managers who follow up on the logistic bits, but nothing can ever be done without our prior approval.
Stefano Gabbana: The elements to take into consideration to throw a successful party are a lot and even the smallest detail is important to its success. Generally speaking, the most important ones are the location, highest-quality food and drinks, music and guest list.
Domenico Dolce: As far as the location is concerned we have the Metropol theatre, which is perfect for huge parties, and Gold restaurant, where we host our more "private" happenings.
We always try and chose the most DJs on the international scenes and we have also many celebrity friends who could add that "glamorous" touch to our events.
