I wasn’t in Milan for the menswear shows, so I didn’t see the moment first hand. But Gucci – how exciting was that?
Scanning the shows this morning, it stood out: willowy boy-girls, long hair wafting, horn-rimmed specs, wearing berets and pussy-bow blouses, high-waist man-slacks and furry sandals or snaffle loafers. The look was more than gender-blending – nothing new there - it was daringly out-there effeminate, but in the most sophisticated, intellectual-looking way. For all their long hair and man-girl faces, these were dudes you wanted to get to know. In a world full of predictable fashion-churn, their very ‘otherness’ made them sexy. And, honestly, how often can you say that?
So where had this fresh energy come from? As reported by ELLEuk.com last week, Gucci’s creative director, Frida Giannini, left her role last week, a month ahead of schedule, just as Gucci’s new CEO, Marco Bizzarri, took up his post, presumably under orders by parent group Kering to shake things up; Giannini had been due to stay and execute the women’s a/w 2015 show in February. Stepping into the breach – make that limelight - with just over a week to pull together the menswear show was Alessandro Michele, former head accessories designer, who seems to have given Gucci, Kering’s biggest brand, a new agenda, lease of life and reason to shop there, in just one show.
Earlier today, Women's Wear Daily reported that Michele was expected to take full creative control, putting paid to rumours of Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci and Saint Laurent’s Hedi Slimane moving into the role. Interestingly, Giannini also held the rank of accessories designer before she was promoted to the top job.
If the Gucci menswear, pulled together in just a week, is anything to go by, let's hope Kering has already applied golden handcuffs to the talented Michele’s wrists. Riccardo who? All eyes are now on Alessandro Michele because this was an awesome show – full of design credibility and just the kind of surprises we crave to see on the Gucci womenswear runway in February.
Gif above all Imaxtree
