OH MY GUCCI !

               

Details: GUCCI Cruise 2017

                                                 

Alessandro Michele hasn't even been Creative Director of Gucci for a whole two years. Yet the amount and caliber of the ctical acclaim he's acquired in that short period of time is more than some designers receive in their lifetime. 

This praise from fashion's elite and opinionated is not unfounded. Michele has been referred to as "The Renaissance Man" by the fashion media since his first collection for the Italian luxury label debuted in Fall 2014. He has rejuvenated Gucci with a redefined aesthetic that still harbors iconic signature Gucci styles (the snake motif, gold-tone horsebit emblemed loafer, the Flora print, the signature Gucci GG logo, the red and green stripes...)  For those who don't know, Gucci was in a bit of a slump sales and popularity wise for a couple of years and were losing devoted luxury shoppers that drove business. Everyone just had seemed to lose all interest in Gucci and acted as if the Tom Ford era of the label was it's peak. Gucci seemed to be almost on the verge of being yesterday's news permanently. 

When Michele, considered a mysteriously unknown designer at the time, was appointed to Creative Director, of course the fashion world had their concerns. Gucci was taking a huge risk by doing this, and everyone knew it. 

I think the fashion world has evolved into being afraid of taking risks creatively to benefit the business side of the industry, which is incredibly ironic since fashion is ALL ABOUT TAKING RISKS! 
Every Gucci collection of Michele's in the last 4 seasons has delighted me  so much as well as the majority of the fashion industry. 

I have garnered a huge amount of respect for Gucci for not only taking risks in it's business strategy but also allowing Michele's creative vision to be the driving force behind the future of the brand. His eccentric, nerd meets punk meets Victorian aesthetic is what makes him and ultimately Gucci stand out in today's fashion world as a unique, funky and yet wearable luxury brand. Gucci had always been known for its exclusive sleek and sexy image but had never really made such a statement as Michele's Gucci does. Michele's still emits a sexy aesthetic to the brand, but it is a different type of sexy that delivers personality as well as sex appeal. 

Although I've loved and obsessed over all of his past collections, Gucci's recent Cruise 2017 collection and runway show BLEW MY MIND. Included in this article are some of my favorite looks and pieces from the show. 

- J

                            

 

  

photos courtesy of voguerunway.com