Gucci’s latest shocker: nothing goes out of fashion
Let’s look at the stereotypes. The Brits are eclectic and a bit wild. The French are chic and outwardly hidebound by rules. The Italians are such a compelling force of nature that, even if we don’t like each and every individual component of what they’re wearing, we invariably end up wanting what they’re having.
There’s still a surprising degree of truth to these national style tribes, particularly in Italy, which, when it comes to the two big Fs, food and fashion (I can’t speak for their football), is less porous to global influences than other nations. La Dolce Vita remains a powerful ideal for millions – hence the enduring status of films such as The Talented Mr Ripley (an Anglo-British version of Italian style), and the fascination with Lady Gaga’s wardrobe in The House of Gucci. I know plenty of self assured women who tweak their style a little when they’re in Italy, upping the glamour quota, ditching the “ironic” accessories that pass muster at home.
“Italy as a united country never had a monarchy, so every Italian is a kind of king or queen of their own look. It’s all about self-invention,’ said Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director, when I asked him how much he looked to Gucci’s fabled past for inspiration. Like most designers, Michele wants to be seen as forward looking. While he still adores antiques (furniture and clothing) he himself embraces a baseball cap emblazoned with the word Harlem, a lumberjack shirt and Pippi Longstocking pigtails. And what’s admirable about his hugely successful reign at Gucci, which began when he was promoted to creative director in 2015, is that he doesn’t dictate to others. His collections are amazingly varied – it’s possible to dress like a subversive librarian or a drag queen in his clothes. They are neither sizeist nor ageist, a sentiment that’s reflected in the guests at his shows.
At Monday night’s al fresco show at Castel del Monte I spotted a woman with a Louise Brooks bob wearing a prim calf-length monogrammed skirt and bandana and full arm tattoos, another in an exquisite Flora printed coat (this is the pattern that was designed in the 1950s for Princess Grace), Francis Bourgeois, the British TikTok trainspotter sensation in Tattersall checks, Paul Mescal the Normal People actor in what can only be described as a spivvied up Porn Star chic, and the actress Elle Fanning in metallic harem pants.
These are clothes that challenge you not to have a good time and defy onlookers not to be judgy.
In the show, which was precision timed to coincide with a lunar eclipse that turned the moon into a show-offy red fireball, it was the same story. Plunging cornflower blue velvet evening gowns, block coloured metallic co-ord tunics and skirts, mini dresses, beaded maxi dresses, embellished jeans, curvy skirt suits. As for the bags, always the crown in Gucci’s jewels – the new ones are top handled, ladylike, retro and can be worn with the clasp open to reveal moire taffeta linings with neat compartments for essential Gucci beauty items and, very possibly, a miniature negroni.
There were 101 looks in all. Michele called the collection Cosmogonie, a reference to the cosmos – every guest had had a star named after them. For him, the power of clothes is almost as mystical as the planets. “Clothes can be magical. They’re the membrane between us and the rest of the world. That’s an amazing power to have at your fingertips. I think especially at a turbulent time, like now, with war, it’s up to someone like me to glorify the positives in life. That’s what fashion is.”
In other words, while there were many noteworthy items in this collection, wear what you love and treasure the things you love in your wardrobe because no era ever completely goes out of date.
