(by Elisa Cecchi).
Poetry infused into an iconic
brand was the story line of Alessandro Michele's first show as
creative director at Gucci - the most anticipated debut of Milan
fashion week presenting women's wear fall-winter 2015
collections Wednesday through Monday.
Romance styled the flowery patterns of flowing dresses, the
see-through point d'esprit blouses, the below-the-knee velvet
skirts, lace mini dresses and knackered fur coats - an haute
spin on the vintage look.
Models of both genders made their way down the catwalk in
often interchangeable looks, as seen with the back-to-the-1970s
trouser suits.
The brocade coats, chintzy chiffons and pre-creased numbers
were a stark break with the decade-long aesthetic of Michele's
predecessor Frida Giannini.
The show marked a new beginning from a sleek-and-chic Gucci
to a conceptual Gucci.
The show notes spoke of the freedom "to build new
meanings", quoting Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben who said
that those who are "truly contemporary are those who neither
perfectly coincide with their time nor adapt to its demands".
Michele's Gucci woman looked like a flea market regular,
one who can mix vintage store finds and family heirlooms with
funkier pieces, like a below-the-knee leather skirt with a belt
sporting the Gucci logo or fur-lined horse-bit loafers.
The collection contained references to the Florentine
house's past - the double-G pattern - as well as quotes from the
iconic Tom Ford era, including satin shirts mixed with
hip-hugging trousers.
Yet the clothes were not about a pre-packaged total Gucci
look.
Michele designed stand-alone pieces with the devil-may-care
attitude of Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent and the ability to put
the wearer before the look so aptly interpreted by Céline's
Phoebe Philo.
Textures and prints - the soft leather, the whiff of
velvet, the Renaissance-style flower patterns - contributed to
the lived-in quality of the pieces.
Yet the vintage feel was always counterbalanced by a
youthful spin - the girly bows on shirts and dresses, the
naiveté of skin-baring point d'esprit separates.
Colours enticed softly - ginger, dewy pink, asparagus
green, light blue, burgundy and pops of red.
"The contemporary is the untimely," the show notes said,
paraphrasing French philosopher Roland Barthes.
Indeed the collection quoted the past while delving into
unexplored Gucci territory through a nostalgic romance that
looked at once familiar and new.
And accessories compounded this fresh spin on the "attic
chic" look - the French-style beret and pom-pom hat, the geeky
oversized tortoise shell eyeglasses, the new chain-strap bag
design and the furry slippers.
Luxury was all about romance and understatement at next
winter's Gucci, whose declining sales over the past two years
were linked to Frida Giannini's departure in January after a
10-year tenure as creative director.
Last December Gucci, which is owned by French luxury
conglomerate Kering, also sacked Patrizio Di Marco - Giannini's
partner - and appointed as chief executive Kering veteran Marco
Bizzarri, formerly at Bottega Veneta.
Gucci accounts for over half of sales in the French group's
luxury division.
The brand's full-year revenues declined 1.1% to 3.5 billion
euros in 2014 on the previous year, Kering said earlier this
month.
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