New model Ford keeps Gucci on track in Milan
Jess Cartner-Morley in Milan
Friday October 1, 2004
The Guardian
In the unlikely event that any in the hand-picked audience at last night's Gucci show in Milan were unaware that this was the first show under a new designer, they probably would not have guessed.
All the Gucci elements - the bondage-tight satin and split pencil skirts, the deliberate flashes of bare skin contrasted with the needle-sharp stilettos - were in place.
The distinctive Gucci showmanship was as evident as ever in the Martini trays beforehand, the dramatic lighting, the glitter shower finale.
But the audience were, one and all, acutely aware that this was the first show by Alessandra Facchinetti, successor to Tom Ford, the designer who steered Gucci to success before leaving in the spring. Indeed, many of the same front row were in tears as they said goodbye to Ford on this very catwalk six months ago.
But confusingly, the point is that this was not really Facchinetti's first show for Gucci at all. She has been design director of Gucci womens wear for four years.
Ford worked on several different labels and his role was one of guidance and editing; Facchinetti's job description has changed little, except that this guidance has been removed. The million dollar question in the world of luxury brands is, is Gucci still Gucci without the Midas touch of Ford?
On the evidence of last night's show there's no doubt Facchinetti can make clothes sexy enough to satisfy even the rapacious Gucci customer.
This was easily the tightest, most body-conscious collection of this Milan fashion week. But any designer has to perform a balancing act, being true to the brand but also to what feels modern, and the satin drainpipes, while classically Gucci, did not look like anything women want to wear right now.
Elegantly constructed corset tops, waisted jackets and tight skirts in divine damson and coffee silks were beautiful but, again, a little too much of a homage to the Ford era. It was almost as if Facchinetti were still trying to create a collection that would please Ford, and that is no longer the point.
Where Facchinetti came into her own was in eveningwear. Chiffon cocktail dresses, with seams of transparency traced around the body's curves between arcs of metallic beading, had that elusive, catch-your-breath, I-want-that-now quality that makes a brand take off.
When Ford was in control of Gucci, the images of the designer and the label blended into each other. Handsome, smart and charming, Ford was a walking, talking symbol of his brand.
When he stepped on to the catwalk at the end of one of his shows, he looked the ideal male counterpart of his models. This was what made him so valuable to Gucci; but towards the end, it was also what made the owners of the business view him as a potential liability.
Facchinetti could be a media-friendly face for the brand: she is young (32), with a dark, rock-chick look. But to date she has kept a low profile. Some say that this is because she is a very private person; others say that she would like fame but her bosses do not want another superstar designer on their hands.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
...seriously...could the pants get any tighter?!?!?>... 
