Review of Gucci Fall 2023 Fashion Show
The Calm Before the Storm
By Angela Baidoo
Whether it will be interpreted as a swan song or a testament to the strength of the teams who are the backbone of the design studios and ateliers, Gucci’s fall 2023 felt like an ode to Alessandro Michele’s tenure, and one last hurrah for all those fans and collectors who wish to get their hands on the last few pieces that will bear a passing resemblance to his hallmark maximalism that spanned across eras, cultures, genders, and genres.
The idea behind the collection was to identify the heritage of the House through present-day eyes and look to the future.
Gucci
An energy buzzed throughout the seated crowds and among the many celebrities in attendance, including Chinese singer and actor Xiao Zhan, the Italian rock band who took Eurovision by storm Maneskin, rapper A$AP Rocky, the new Little Mermaid Halle Bailey and Dakota Johnson.
A show which is always oversubscribed as a matter of course, there was something different about today. As with any shift at the top, there are those inside and outside the industry who are invested and simply curious about what the new Gucci will look like aesthetically, after coming out of a period so renowned for its eclecticism and strong handwriting. But detailed show notes, which were sent out to editors prior to the start of the show, put to rest any questioning that may have still been circling around what we were about to witness.
So, what of the collection? Despite the notes speaking to “the lead-up to a new chapter for the House” there was familiar thread running throughout. The styling tricks that have come to be heavily associated with the brand over the last (nearly) ten years, which involves a mash-up of textures and shapes and layers fused to present something new, are now part of Gucci’s heritage. Much like how Tom Fords red velvet suit remains an icon of the archives to be reworked by whoever sits at the helm. There was an acknowledgement of those who had come before and their immense impact, with a recognition that the collection recalled “Tom Ford’s sensual and sophisticated Gucci silhouettes from the 1990s and early 2000s” while Alessandro Michele’s work was represented through “the electric colours and opulent decorations [from his] mid-2010s to early 2020s [tenure].
The collection chose to remix different moments in time, in this interim period while we await the arrival of Sabato De Sarno. The slick power suit, colourful monster furs, logoed lingerie of the sheer mesh and crystal embellished barely-there variety, prim and proper pencil skirts, sexy sheers – whether achieved through peek-a-boo cut-outs or all-over lace, and a return of the trapeze-shaped noughties bag complete with horsebit hardware in variations of shearling, quilting, and multiple-coloured leathers.
Silhouettes recall Gucci’s erotic and glamorous language of the 1990s and early 2000s, painting [them] in the electrically sumptuous colour palette of the 2010s.
Gucci
The collection retained the merchandising magic which won Gucci new fans, but without a Creative Director to assert their vision, there was a definite commercial leaning to many of the looks shown for fall. Which ultimately is what the new Creative Director will have to ensure they are considering, alongside an evolution of what has come before, if they are to create a future for Gucci with them in it.