Models Direct were interested to read news this week of the latest big brand to embrace the use of ‘real’ models to showcase their designs. In a savvy move, Italian luxury industry fashion house Dolce & Gabbana decided to use over 70 ‘everyday’ guys – that they had sourced directly from the streets of Sicily – on their catwalk shows in Milan over the weekend.

The models ranged from children to men – aged between 12 and 43 – and they are reported to have modelled almost all of the label’s 84 1950s-style looks, in what was intended to provide an ‘authentic Italian experience’. Walking to the sound of a live folk band, they are described by WWD as resembling ‘characters from an old movie’.

So, how did these Sicilian boys and men cope with the experience of being thrown in at the modelling deep-end for the first time at such a high profile show? According to reports, many moved at a ‘frenetic pace’, revealing some understandable nervousness – but who could blame them? Most models would have had the advantage of a little more practice before donning designer clothing and taking to the catwalk.

Usual occupations included a painter, waiter, barber and student, all of whom’s modelling debuts have been photographed and splashed allover fashion magazines and internet sources for their families and friends to see. WWD described the clothing as ‘vacation-friendly sportswear’. Going on to say: “Striped vests and T-shirts with a rustic hand-painted look recalled those worn by lifeguards of yore on the beaches of Cefalù or Mondello. Others were splashed with garish souvenir prints, paired with high-waist shorts with retro-bathing-suit details.

“Shirts with flat, open collars and unconstructed suits with voluminous pleated carrot pants could have been pulled straight from a Sicilian grandfather’s wardrobe. Even the leather goods, which included aged briefcases and luggage, were retro to the extreme.”

Steffano is quoted by ABC News as explaining his decision to use real models ahead of the show: ”We wanted to put our clothes on real men because fashion should be for real people.”