The fashion world was in a frenzy trying to predict who
would take over as head of Gucci when it was announced that Frida Giannini was departing. We can only assume the recent decline in
fortunes for the fashion house had a lot to do with this decision. Giannini was supposed to remain at the helm
until February (after this month’s 2015 men’s autumn/winter collection was
presented in Milan) but, in a surprise move, she left a month early. That’s when new creative director Alessandro
Michele stepped in and, in record time, created a whole new concept, redesigned
the entire collection - even going so far as to recast the models.
Those in the industry know just what goes into producing a
fashion collection. It takes months of conceptualising, not to mention all the blood,
sweat and tears, so one can only imagine what Michele and his team must have
gone through to pull this off. So just
what was it that clinched the position for Michele? We think it was most likely the fact that that
his creative vision was the complete opposite of Giannini’s . And for a fashion house in trouble, a fresh
approach is the obvious criteria that would be required to reignite public
interest.
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| Gucci's Autumn/Winter 2015 Collection on the runway at Milan Men's Fashion Week |
The revamped range was certainly unexpected. The effeminate models seemed to be an extension
of the overall androgynous tone of the collection, from its blousy shirts with fussy
detailing down to the flowing feminine lines of the trousers – in all, a very
emasculated concept altogether. However
a closer look at the history of Gucci may indicate a clever approach, and
perhaps a very calculated strategy.
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| Androgynous boys in blouses and sheer effeminate shirt-dresses was the order of the day. |
Gucci had enjoyed major success in the 70s. After internal squabbling and ongoing legal
battles saw the Gucci family lose direction in the 1980s, Tom Ford took charge
in the 90s and the brand reached even greater success. Now that things have slowed down again
post-Ford, how do they regain any glory?
Repeating Ford’s formula would only make Alessandro Michele look like a
copycat but perhaps looking further back and recapturing some of that 70s glamour
may be the answer.
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| Individual pieces resembled authentic 70s female items such as the Ascot Blouse (right) with its bow detail. |
It’s just our theory,
but maybe he decided to take the female silhouette of the 70s and add a twist
by reinventing it for the male form. The
concept of 70s androgyny is by no means new;
David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Mick Jagger were just a few of the style
icons of the Glam Rock era to popularise the trend but it had been a look that
was reserved for Gucci’s female customers at the time. By updating it for men
in 2015, they have created something that appears fresh, but with just the
right dose of nostalgia to generate that all important feeling of familiarity.
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| The silhouette of David Bowie's "Thin White Duke" era wide trousers (left) and "Ziggy Stardust" chiffon shirts (right) was a prominent influence. |
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| The 70s "Poet's Shirt" was a favourite for both men and women as seen here worn by Jacqueline Bisset (left) and Mick Jagger (right). The idea of genderless clothing was a major influence on the latest Gucci Menswear Collection. |
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| The use of androgynous models clearly harks back to Bowie's early days of sexual ambiguity. |
The collection was perhaps not as well received as everyone
had hoped but that could be put down to it being a radical move on the part of
Gucci. Many critics have stated that the
deciding factor as to whether Michele’s appointment was a wise move or not,
will be the upcoming Women’s Autumn/Winter 2015 range. We can only but wait and see.
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| Alessandro Michele take a bow. |
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