MILAN : GENTLEMANLY GUCCI .
From Fashion Wire Daily
By Godfrey Deeny
There was a time when Gucci, for all its class and chic, represented very cool clothes in which to party, garments for naughty late night intimacies with hot looking lovers. Not any more.
With Tuesday’s men’s collection the house’s men’s designer John Ray has ushered in a new mood into the most famous label in Florence – gentlemanly aplomb.
Ray served champagne to guests entering Gucci’s Piazza Oberdan showspace, but the bubbly pink. The runway was in black marble, the sort Italian stood on entre deux guerres when greeting guests to their well-appointed palazzos. Think Helmut Berger in a modern lush video directed by Luchino Visconti.
This was not a collection for going to work – the opening models wore sandals and canvas espadrilles. It was one for enjoying the weekend – every second model sported substantial pieces of luggage in from blue leather trimmed canvas to black crocodile. All of these looked great and very commercial and made everyone long for a weekend away from the torrid heat of Italy’s fashion capital. Over the morning cappuccino, one could read local newspaper predictions that tens of thousands of elderly Italians will perish this summer if the current heat wave continues.
Back on the catwalk, Ray reminded us that he remains a polished tailor – his snug jackets with wide lapels were all impeccable, helped by neat trick of making all the models leave two of the five sleeve buttons undone. However, one was not convinced by a peculiar new trouser length, cut above the ankle bone, that look archaic even if it cleverly revealed some great footwear – great white canvas cricketers looks and super black croco shoes.
In his program notes, Ray talked of 1930s chic, the Lido and that period of pre-war elegance that defined a uniquely insouciant moment. The matinee idol models with their slicked back hair captured that easy epoch perfectly, strolling out unhurried in white bathing trunks with plaited belts or in a beautiful cashmere dressing robe with a double G logo.
You could see new customers digging the sense of patrician chic that this collection breathed. With the label now boasting seven fully-fledged boutiques in China – Gucci Group CEO Robert Polet told FWD that sales had risen 100% on the mainland last year – this was a highly astute collection, as we suspect figures will show this time next year.
