I never used to look at Dolce & Gabbana, unless of course some foreigner (generally from an oil-rich country of eastern European provenance) would literally blind me with the bling from his highly studded D&G belt, or the rhinestoned derriere of his companion. No, the line was never really for me.

Until a couple of seasons ago, when the designing duo marched out a couple of girls at the end of their collection, wearing dresses that looked like living canvases. They were hand-painted creations, with nipped-in waists that flowed out into expansive tulle skirts and in a word they were, well, just gorge.

Who is this new D&G girl, because Dolce & Gabbana have since chased this girl down a most refined path of sophistication. For a label that was once equated to in-your-face sex, they've transformed their muse into a woman who knows that sexy can be conveyed with more than just vavavoom.