The mise-en-scene was a room with red lighting where 21 models walked down a conveyor to begin the Gucci SS20 show.
Models were dressed in all white and were strapped, harnessed, and sullen. They raised their hands to the photographers at the end.
That was only the beginning. Backstage, Alessandro Michele revealed that his greatest fear is boredom. It is better to cause an earthquake than not to try to shift the fashion of tectonic plates.
The new age of elegance
They did shift. Although they did not shift seismologically Michele took Gucci in a new direction. There was less emphasis on retro, quirky outfits and more emphasis on elegance and sexiness. The mood in Milan was echoed by the collection’s pared-down, less-is-more look.
Clashing prints were rare. Colour-blocking, clean lines, and even black – which Michele has largely avoided in his collections – drew attention to tailoring with a hint of Tom Ford’s 90s and 70s glory.
Michele was a novice in the territory of slip dresses, plunging necklines, and thigh-split, midi skirts with long latex gloves. The music by Madonna, “Justify My Love”, was the predominant soundtrack.
The hems of trousers, sleeves, and bags were adorned with graphic patches reading Eterotopio and Orgasmic. This was a reference to Michel Foucault’s idea for describing cultural spaces that are somehow other’ and upsetting to what is outside.
Gucci has been transformative and contradictory to many of its past experiences and the industry in general over the past five years. Michele’s revolutionary aesthetic reflected the zeitgeist for gender fluidity, individuality, and escapism. It was instantly a hit. Although the company is on a path to becoming a 10 billion-euro business by 2020, it is not seeing the same rate of double-digit growth as before.
This collection will be reminiscent of the merchandising genius that was displayed in previous seasons. Some believe Gucci is “cooling off”, as most mega-brands do in fashion’s cycle. In the end, only the numbers will be able to tell.
