Italian designer stars thrive on Chinese inspiration

A model wears Chinese-style pieces, part of the Dolce & Gabbana's 2016 spring/summer collection, designed by Italian duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.

The visit resulted in men's suits and T-shirts with images of the Chinese Palace, birds and bamboo, and dresses for women inspired by the qipao (cheongsam).

Dolce says: "The palace inspired us to infuse some of the most iconic elements of Chinese architecture into the DNA of Dolce & Gabbana."

The Chinese-style pieces are a part of their 2016 spring/summer collection, which they call "Italy is love".

Each of the dresses depicts an Italian city or resort in postcard style, from Rome to Capri, Taormina, the Amalfi coast, Lake Como and Pisa. The Chinese Palace represents Palermo.

Explaining what led to the designs for the dresses, Gabbana says: "We looked how global travelers enjoy the summer in Italy. For example, the Chinese pieces, which are traditional Chinese clothes with Italian embellishments and jewels, represent Chinese tourists who arrive in Italy and cannot wait to absorb the local mood and culture."

China, though, seems to have become the designer duo's favorite market in recent years.

Though they have never had runway shows in China, they express their love for the country in a different way.