Gucci Menswear F/W 2024.25 Milan

[lookatme]

I love the Vogue Runway review - Sabato keeps being so butt-hurt about the bad reviews for his Ancora collection.

He’s acting like no one understood his debut…poor, poor, misunderstood Sabato.

 

[default99]

The clothes look very well made, I'm in. Commercially I think it's going to be a hit. Whether intentional or not, it's a smart move to do simple collections as a sort of 'palate cleanser'. Hopefully he has the time to keep constructing a vision. It'll be interesting to see if he moves forward or stays the same.

 

[Frederic01]

“I read some critics in September who said: ‘Oh, he just did a commercial collection for the brand: blah blah blah.’ This is bullsh*t.” Sabato De Sarno pulled no punches in a preview, and—while riled by last season’s snipings—he declined to let that rhetorical turbulence affect the course of his menswear debut at Gucci this afternoon.

If anything, De Sarno leaned into the headwinds of blah blah blah and dared them to do their worst. Last September’s show was originally due to be presented on the streets of Brera as a mise-en-scène. Rained off at the last minute, it was relocated to a hastily built black box at Gucci’s Milan hub. He liked the unintended black box so much—“because you had to focus on the clothes”—that he rebuilt it elsewhere for today’s show. We had the (nearly) same soundtrack. “And I opened the show with the same coat, the same silhouette, the same bag.” Model gender apart, what was different were the pants (instead of hot pants) and the loafer/brothel creeper hybrids (instead of platform loafers). De Sarno was doubling down—he called it “mirroring”—and challenging us to reflect upon what he gave us in September and now, with fresh variations, here.

Much of that blah blah blah is the consequence of contrast with the Ha Ha Hathat came before De Sarno. His predecessor not only wore his creative heart on his sleeve—those collections were decadent, saturated with ornate eye-candy and flourish—but he threw in twins, straitjackets, severed head replicas, Sir Elton John, and Harry Styles.

De Sarno is a subtler animal. “I don’t care about the Instagram moment,” he said. Instead, from the laptop pockets and grosgrain key loops in his backpacks to the bonded-leather linings in outerwear via the delicately rounded toes of those brothel creepers and the new shadow effect on the GG monogram, he is a details man, a purist. An outerwear geek—“every time I buy a new coat it’s like I’m giving myself a hug,” he said—De Sarno relished cutting Gucci’s coats with a single central vent sliced up almost to the shoulder in order to allow the pieces to flow and swoop with the models’ movement (even in double faced leathers). He took particular pleasure in the iridescent shine reflected in the finish of his faux-fur topcoat and caban.

As he put it: “I’m not a person that loves the idea of fashion. I really love fashion. I love to design pieces. I love to choose materials. I love to work with fabrics. I love to work with our customers, and find solutions. I am a working creative director. I don’t just spend the day telling my staff ‘I like this’ or ‘I don’t like that’ and leave them to do it. That would be easier, but I would find it boring.”

Milan was where De Sarno says he first felt at liberty to manifest his identity. The silk choker clasped scarves, crystal collars and vests, and heavy metal necklaces were all worn interrogations of the societally conventional. They echoed the questions posed by Lucky Love on the Mark Ronson produced soundtrack’s new addition, entitled Masculinity. The deep indented creases in the legs and waist of his narrow-cut one-and-a-half breasted suits were irreverent Fontana-adjacent challenges to tailoring’s fourth wall. The enlarged Jackie bags with extendable shoulder straps for slinging were inspired by the totemic tote worn by Samuel Beckett on his travels through Italy. There was lyricism here, but to parse it you needed to stop scrolling in order to scrutinize. “Italianity. Artisanal. Good taste. Beauty. I don’t have a narrative [for my collections] at the moment,” said De Sarno: “I have words.”

VOGUE RUNWAY

 

[lookatme]

The more he says, the more obnoxious I find him. I feel like his Gucci is doomed.

 

[LadyJunon]

His quotes from the review:

“I read some critics in September who said: ‘Oh, he just did a commercial collection for the brand: blah blah blah.’ This is bullsh*t.”
•••
De Sarno is a subtler animal. “I don’t care about the Instagram moment,” he said.
•••
“Italianity. Artisanal. Good taste. Beauty. I don’t have a narrative [for my collections] at the moment,” said De Sarno: “I have words.”

He says this but almost everything he's put out at Gucci negates this.

So far the rebrand has either been a half-***ed attempt reviving Ford's Gucci (Werbowy campaign, Ancora red, Ancora campaign) or an attempt to become the Italian Louis Vuitton (Horsebit campaign, Valigeria campaign).

It's too obvious that he's not the one in full creative control here, but he seems too bigheaded to acknowledge that. It doesn't help that he comments: "I LOVE GUCCI! 💖😘😚💝😍🥰❤️‍🔥" under every Instagram post.

 

[Scotty]

Also that "Masculinity" song is so cringe.

The fashion gays are obsessed with it!

Tom Ford also used the same music in his mens and womens shows.

 

[ah ah]

After my initial letdown during the live stream, I decided to give the video another go, hoping to unearth some redeeming qualities in this collection. Admittedly, it's a step up from the lackluster women's line, but that wasn't a tough bar to clear. The coats stand out, providing a glimmer of positivity, but beyond that, the collection seems to lack a distinctive vision.
It's a bit of a puzzle figuring out who the intended audience is for Sabato's Gucci men. The whole presentation felt like a nod to Valentino, with its structured tailoring, but then there were hints of Prada in the collars and bombers. The accessories, including shoes and bags, left me unimpressed – they just seemed downright hideous. And seriously, white socks?
The creative director needs to step into his role and define a clear path for the brand's future. Opting for a venue already used by Valentino in Milan, and claiming a casting focus on new faces while familiar ones from recent Valentino shows were easily spotted, indicates a struggle to break free from the past and forge a distinct identity for the brand's future. A more deliberate and forward-thinking approach would be

 

[donyan]

My overwhelming impression is that he is answering to a very clear brief of delivering product, which is what he’s doing. If this is enough for a megabrand like Gucci is another matter. A lot of this is wearable and ticks the boxes, but there’s nothing specifically ‘Gucci’ about this. Take away the branding and it could be any well-made Italian luxury brand. I’m rooting for him, the pressure must be insane, but I’m still not sure if these clothes are enough. For the time being if I want this kind of luxurious minimalism I’d rather go to Prada

 

[Phuel]

VOGUE RUNWAY

Ok that’s all very nice, Sabato. But the results looks and feels like an absolutely, unabashedly, unashamedly love letter to Miuccia: The setting; the cast of Lurch lookalikes; the studded rockabilly creepers; the long skinny scarf/tie; the lurex; the boxy cabans with 60s-cut trousers; the patented leather coats; the chandelier jewel-encrusted tops; the color-palette… We’ve seen it all before from pre-Raf Prada. The only Gucci signs is the horsebit signature and monogram.

It’s all presented expensively, tastefully and restrained. And everything looks beautifully tailored and constructed. Good, strong separates. I'll give him that. But it’s such a pre-Raf Prada's Frankenstein Monster:shrugs:

 

[GoldenTribe]

Those ribbons are indeed terrible, my SO initially thought they were dog leashes ...

The worst part is, that's pretty close. Before I zoomed in, I thought they were just plain sashes like rudimentary neckties -- which would have been bad enough -- but when you zoom in, you can see the cheap generic clasp that is absolutely identical to the one on a typical dog leash.

I guess the fact that the silk (I hope) fabric bunches where it's pulled through a slot in a strip of leather is supposed to qualify this as "adjustable" ... ?

Anybody want to guess the price point? After all, silk, leather, "hardware" and it's designer ... (herp-a-derp) ! US$400?

 

[yslforever]

Ok that’s all very nice, Sabato. But the results looks and feels like an absolutely, unabashedly, unashamedly love letter to Miuccia: The setting; the cast of Lurch lookalikes; the studded rockabilly creepers; the long skinny scarf/tie; the lurex; the boxy cabans with 60s-cut trousers; the patented leather coats; the chandelier jewel-encrusted tops; the color-palette… We’ve seen it all before from pre-Raf Prada. The only Gucci signs is the horsebit signature and monogram.

It’s all presented expensively, tastefully and restrained. And everything looks beautifully tailored and constructed. Good, strong separates. I'll give him that. But it’s such a pre-Raf Prada's Frankenstein Monster:shrugs:

Was thinking it could have been a good Miu Miu menswear collection.

 

[Kanzai]

From September 2023 to January 2024, it feels like Gucci is still standing still. No change, no difference, no improvement. Does the company pay that ANCORA guy ?

 

[jeanclaude]

Sabato says "Hey, I am lazy, but I don´t wanna face it" everytime he speaks to justify his generic work.

 

[Frederic01]

He should not be giving interviews, that is for sure. There is another profile/interview with him over at GQ and it reads even worse than the Vogue Runway review.

In terms of this collection - it is decent enough, but it's obvious Sabato doesn't have a strong and dynamic enough vision to stand out from the rest of the crowd. He is clutching on for dear life to this whole "Ancora" and "Gucci Red" thing, but it's just not enough. The brand needs more flair than that, especially one that wants to get to 15 billion in revenue.

Which brings me to another point - if his ex-company Valentino can't get to those figures with Pierpaolo at the helm, then how can Gucci with such a weak designer and brand vision? They are delusional.

Gucci will achieve Bottega level figures with Sabato's vision...

 

[LadyJunon]

He should not be giving interviews, that is for sure. There is another profile/interview with him over at GQ and it reads even worse than the Vogue Runway review.

In terms of this collection - it is decent enough, but it's obvious Sabato doesn't have a strong and dynamic enough vision to stand out from the rest of the crowd. He is clutching on for dear life to this whole "Ancora" and "Gucci Red" thing, but it's just not enough. The brand needs more flair than that, especially one that wants to get to 15 billion in revenue.

Which brings me to another point - if his ex-company Valentino can't get to those figures with Pierpaolo at the helm, then how can Gucci with such a weak designer and brand vision? They are delusional.

Gucci will achieve Bottega level figures with Sabato's vision...

Read both GQ articles (they pretty much mirror each other) and Sabato says so many contradictory statements. Not to mention his obliviousness towards the criticism of the first show is genuinely frustrating to read. It could be argued that it's a mistranslation on behalf of the on-site translator, but it still sours my opinion on Sabato's recent work.

WWD's review is the most flattering I've seen, mostly because the writer there paraphrased into oblivion and completely omitted the bitterness.

 

[yslforever]

He should not be giving interviews, that is for sure. There is another profile/interview with him over at GQ and it reads even worse than the Vogue Runway review.

In terms of this collection - it is decent enough, but it's obvious Sabato doesn't have a strong and dynamic enough vision to stand out from the rest of the crowd. He is clutching on for dear life to this whole "Ancora" and "Gucci Red" thing, but it's just not enough. The brand needs more flair than that, especially one that wants to get to 15 billion in revenue.

Which brings me to another point - if his ex-company Valentino can't get to those figures with Pierpaolo at the helm, then how can Gucci with such a weak designer and brand vision? They are delusional.

Gucci will achieve Bottega level figures with Sabato's vision...

Michele was let go because Gucci fell short of their 10 billions target, they realized 9.7 instead of 10, but the discrepancy imho is entirely on the suits, it could have been bridged by business decisions only. I can't see them reaching that 10 or even 15 billions target with Sabato's offering (not a new bag since Michele's departure) and tbh those targets depend largely on fields out of reach of any CD, it's eyewear, perfumes, beauty etc....
Valentino is a much smaller company, 1.4 billion in sales, not even half of Saint-Laurent, which reached 3 without beauty... Valentino hasn't had a real It bag since their Rockstud line, they lost their NYC flagship etc... Pierpaolo's Valentino isn't a complete success story.

 

[RaisinBoy]

Who styled this boredom of a show?
Bad design, bad styling.

 

[LadyJunon]

Who styled this boredom of a show?
Bad design, bad styling.

Alastair McKinn. He also styles Marc Jacobs and Bottega Veneta.

 

[disco54]

After going through the whole show thoroughly, as others have mentioned it's like Prada but soulless, lacking the wit and depth of it. It's Prada lite but with Gucci logos and bijoux bling. The clothes are not bad per se but for such a big house, there is nothing covetable or memorable. It is lacking the dark glamour and Cinematic feel Gucci has had regardless of the designers. Granted AM put out tacky and cringy sh!t it was never boring and there were tonnes of options. Wrt to men's tailoring , AM was far superior , those 40s style demob suits are always worn by Hollywood elite and again it ties in with the cinematic feel of many of his designs. Gucci Ancora is like the Titanic just about to ram into the iceberg.

 

[LadyJunon]

Michele was let go because Gucci fell short of their 10 billions target, they realized 9.7 instead of 10, but the discrepancy imho is entirely on the suits, it could have been bridged by business decisions only. I can't see them reaching that 10 or even 15 billions target with Sabato's offering (not a new bag since Michele's departure) and tbh those targets depend largely on fields out of reach of any CD, it's eyewear, perfumes, beauty etc....

Michele was let go for missing their €10bn goal by 300m?! I would've thought that he missed by €1-2bn with the whole year of drama and executive uprooting from Gucci and Kering. Honestly, Michele did very well considering that it's already difficult to pass €2-3bn on mostly ready-to-wear and bags (additional cheers to Vaccarello and Belletini).

As you said, achieving numbers like €10-15bn+ depend heavily on perishable, mass-reaching, high-volume products: eyewear, beauty, fragrances.

The issue here is that Kering has a very weak presence in the beauty and fragrance sectors, mostly because of poor management. Gucci Beauty will probably need to be fully redesigned and rebranded under Sabato's nonexistent vision. Saint Laurent could be easily outpaced by Celine adding a beauty division. The other houses' fragrance lines were all discontinued in the mid 10s.

Valentino is a much smaller company, 1.4 billion in sales, not even half of Saint-Laurent, which reached 3 without beauty... Valentino hasn't had a real It bag since their Rockstud line, they lost their NYC flagship etc... Pierpaolo's Valentino isn't a complete success story.

I feel that the "success" of PPP's Valentino is most likely an illusion manufactured by the industry and press out of spite towards MGC at Dior. Mayhoola probably decided to play along by pushing PPP to produce these very loud saccharine collections, which was the opposite to MGC's very conservative approach.

In truth, I think that pushing so hard in that direction may have weakened their commercial strengths, especially since PPP wasn't able to produce another cash cow to back up his vision. As of late, they've been trying to go back to a more classical Valentino in attempts to win back their customers.