Spring appeared to have sprung in Milan on Friday just as much outside Gucci’s venue as inside. How fitting that artistic director Demna dubbed the collection “Primavera,” or spring in English.
He was inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s painting of the same name, seen at the Uffizi Museum in Florence, which he admitted had left him emotional, and the collection he paraded at the former Milan fairgrounds felt like it would help the brand — ahem — spring forth, and open a new chapter.
“I have a good feeling, it’s one the great brands, it just needs to be revived,” Luca de Meo, chief executive officer of Gucci parent Kering, said confidently before the show.
Entering, there was definitely a good dose of new energy and expectation at the venue, reminiscent of a museum with classic marble statues on top of the tiered rows, similar to those seen in ancient Greek or Roman theaters. It was monumental and a reference to the Uffizi and that memorable visit to Florence, which led Demna to believe that “above the product, Gucci is culture, it is a way of thinking and a way of being.”
Gucci should also be fun, as he discovered that, for Gen Z, the name has become synonymous with “being flamboyant, having fun, going out, being crazy doing stuff. I don’t feel like there are so many other brands that could make sense in this context, you know. But Gucci does, and it’s kind of very inspiring I find,” he told WWD during a preview.
Donatella Versace and Alessandro Michele certainly appeared to be having fun, smiling and chatting amicably, seated front row with other guests, from Demi Moore, hugging her chihuahua Pilaf, to Shawn Mendes.
“I hope I made you feel Gucci today because that was my main purpose, to feel the energy, the passion, the fun, the sexy,” said Demna in the post-show scrum.
And so he did, all of the above and then some.
To the staccato sound of “Sopratutto” by Nicolini, the first look — a seamless, skinny minidress in white hosiery fabric, clinging to the body — appeared to be a palate cleanser. The look that followed was an about-turn, with a male model as buff as can be, his muscles bulging under a white sleeveless T-shirt and pants, “his chiseled Adonis looks that speak to Renaissance ideals of proportionality and physique,” wrote Demna in his press notes, explaining that Gucci had succeeded in developing seamless garments “cut as close as possible to the body, invisible heat-sealed edges and engineered curved hems.”
The effect? Run to the gym as fast as possible.
However, Demna had plenty more in store in terms of body shapes, height and age brackets — cue the returns of Karlie Kloss and Kate Moss closing the show — a sparkling white gold GG thong bedazzled with 10 carats of diamonds peeping out of her dramatic backless black gown that was reminiscent of the Tom Ford va-va-voom era. While Demna left his own mark with this collection, there were references to Ford, even sexier in his hands, and to Michele — the Princetown furry slippers just one example.
The sexy undercurrent ran throughout the collection and Demna admitted backstage that it was “very liberating, I finally allowed myself to do that. It’s also because of my relationship with my body, the way I see myself. I want to feel sexy, I want to feel attractive, and l want to like myself. There is so much more that I haven’t done, because I didn’t want to get closer to my body, to the emotional aspect of my body. For 10 years I was trying to impress myself, to be smart, and at Gucci I realized I can create an emotional rather than intellectual fashion — either you love it or not, but it opens a huge new scope of possibilities in terms of creative vision. Feeling attractive, seductive — it’s part of human nature and I want to put it out there. It’s something we need.”
After La Famiglia, his first project for Gucci, here Demna developed a whole set of archetypes, reaching out to the brand’s existing customers and the potential new ones, so next to leggings and tracksuits, fluid tailored suits in liquid-like fabrics stood out, with low-cut jackets and trousers with horizontal pockets.
With every phase of the collection, the soundtrack changed, as part of five genres curated by loki. Enter a more romantic lineup with pleated floral dresses — likely inspired by Botticelli’s “Primavera” — to the sound of “Milan” by Augxst. Worn under a mock-fur bubble blouson, the look turned more ladylike, seen in the strapless bustier-like furry tops. Vittoria Ceretti in a dark ankle-length coat over a black turtleneck and slim leather pants with a gold GG logo belt was as chic as can be. Artist Vittorio Accornero’s Flora motif, a Gucci signature since 1966 that was designed for Grace Kelly, was revisited in a silk slipdress.
At night, however, the Gucci woman can morph into a partygoer. Enter Emily Ratajkowski in a sparkling minidress and stiletto pumps, her hair, makeup and strut part of the character. Risqué gowns with waist-high slits for her were flanked by two-piece sets of embroidered and sparkling loose pants and navel grazing tops for him — and worn barefoot.
Make no mistake, though: Accessories, Gucci’s bread-and-butter, were ubiquitous on the runway. Almost every model carried a bag, in particular the signature Bamboo 1947, updated with a new, sleeker volume and a handle made of flexible, pieced leather sections, and rejuvenated archival minaudières to fit essentials. Supple leather boots, Demna’s first Gucci sneaker, the Manhattan, and the Giovanni and Cupertino loafers were among some of the footwear designs.
A selection of products from the collection was available in some Gucci stores and online after the show.
“Gucci is a superbrand that is as much about pragmatic product as it is about emotion,” Demna wrote in the letter he posted on social media a day earlier. There is no doubt that he delivered that emotion, and with his 71 looks, he showed naysayers that his design chops have range.