We're glad that the Gucci runway is back in Milano. It felt weird last season when the quintessential Italian brand showed their spring/summer 2019 collection in Paris. Eyebrows were raised. The stars felt misaligned. Thankfully, for fall/winter 2019, the Gucci show is back where Gucci belongs—at the Gucci hub (or Gucci head office) near Linate airport.
For the full report on the Gucci fall/winter 2019 show, listen to the audio review below. Simply click on ‘listen in browser’ for a podcast-like experience as you scroll through the gallery of images above.
Designer: Alessandro Michele
10-word show review: Medieval masquerade replete with spikes for a rougher, tougher Gucci.
Favourite look: First and foremost, the gallery above is not going to do this Gucci fall/winter 2019 show justice. Held in a bespoke oval runway constructed from mirrored floors, ceiling and seats—all bordered by a wall full of pulsating lights (that’s right, an epileptics worst nightmare)—it was a grand epic performance. Together with an operatic choral score entitled ‘Gabriel’s Message’ arranged by Edgar Pettman, we were transported to a medieval masquerade that dripped with savage beauty. All this drama is lost in the static runway images. Recommendation: check out the Gucci live stream for a sense of the occasion.
In short, it was refreshing to see a rougher, tougher Gucci. Alessandro Michele’s vision of the Gucci man has always had a feminine and androgynous perspective, and while that remained in lace and floral shirting, it was the hard edge of spiked accessories paired with a discernible return to tailoring (not to mention a strong shoulder) that elevated the offering from ‘another Gucci show’ to the start of a masculine new chapter. With that in mind, our favourite look was that mustard notch-lapel blazer with a vintage ‘G’ jacquard worn over a pinstriped blue shirt that was finished with a patterned tie (and a thick Windsor knot, at that), all tucked into a chocolate dungaree-trouser hybrid and accessorised with an aggressively spiked choker, gold-tone ear moulds, yellow-tinted glasses, and fake tears for added drama. Oh, the beauty of sweet sorrow.
Favourite accessory: Beyond the spikey accessories and Jason Voorhees hockey masks (Halloween, but make it fashion) we’re advocating the miniature duffle bags with two handles (so you can also carry it both horizontally and vertically) that comes with a cross-body leather strap.
All images are courtesy of Gucci and Getty.
