WWD reports on the new Dolce & Gabbana campaign revealing that the designers' 18-year friendship with Madonna wasn't enough to ease the fears that Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce had about doing something "more business-y" with the pop icon explaining that they "were always afraid it would ruin our relationship". 

WWD mentions the format of the entire printed campaign, made by eight black-and-white, horizontal pictures shot by Steven Klein in a former lay convent in uptown Manhattan, adding that they will appear in groups of two or three to better display the reportage effect. 
For the campaign, Madonna chose a number of looks, including crocheted tops and dresses, floral skirts and leopard spots, which she mismatched to her taste. 
A budget for the campaign, which breaks in February fashion titles, wasn't available, though Gabbana described the investment as a "serious one." 

"The collection is very Italian, very Sicilian. It's a return to our roots with a modern angle, so we asked Madonna to interpret it in a different and human way. We believe that people are ready for a new message." 

During a brainstorming session before the shoot they all agreed on Luchino Visconti’s film "Bellissima" as an inspiration, WWD also reports. Released in 1951, the neorealist film stars Anna Magnani and Walter Chiari. 
In one shot, Madonna even appears as a latter-day Magnani, gazing off-camera with tear-smoldered cheeks. "She really cried, she really dipped into the part and took it very seriously," Gabbana told WWD.

Photo by Steven Klein for Dolce & Gabbana. From an article by WWD.com.