Gucci is an interregnum. Since the news of its omniscient creative director Alessandro Michele’s departure in November, the house is in a phase of improvisation — not quite a blank slate, not quite an evolution of an aesthetic. A new designer will surely soon be appointed, but until then no frontrunner has emerged, as it did way back in 2015, when a slightly dishevelled Alessandro emerged to take a bow for a collection that softened the look of menswear with pussy bows, geeky tailoring and furry slippers. Yesterday’s show was instead ”an act of improvisation”, as the house described in its show notes; a “reflection of the individualities represented by the multifaceted creatives and craftsmen who inhabit the house of Gucci.”
Designed by the house’s design studio in the wake of Alessandro’s departure, it was a dialled-back collection that favoured a general mood in lieu of the big statements and jaw-dropping embellishments that we’ve come to know Gucci for. It was also the first dedicated menswear show that the house has staged in three years, offering an opportunity to really carve out a point of difference to its typically romantic womenswear. The look was slouchier, looser than collections past, perhaps tapping into the way that kids are vaping in baggy cargo pants, XXL jeans and thrifted overcoats and 80s sportswear. The au courant indie sleaze revival could be felt in some of the tapered jeans tucked into pirate boots and beanies over shaggy locks — but it was more skatepark sliders than what people were wearing to the Camden Roundhouse in 2006 (trust us, we were there). An ear-shattering performance from noise rock band Ceramic Dogs formed the centrepiece of the set, filling the room with an energy that helped set the tone for the otherwise low-key tank tops, loafers and baggy chinos.
Besides, times have changed. The whippet-thin androgyny of those heady 00s days has given way to a more lax approach to dressing, one that isn’t so dark in its outlook and extreme in its silhouette. Thankfully, there was still a touch of Michelian romanticism lingering in the air: a lilac blazer worn over pale lemon pants, leopard and bubblegum pink bags clutched at the hip, some daytime sparkle in the form of sequined track pants and crystal logo-embellished jeans. It will take a while for the house to find its voice and sway its customers away from what they came to know and love. For now, the ghost of Alessandro still looms, albeit pared back to basics.
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Images via Spotlight