Gucci is currently enjoying a whole new lease of life courtesy of Alessandro Michele, who took to the helm of the label in January this year, and just like the power and enchantment of a Wes Anderson film, I am 100% enraptured by every aspect of Gucci’s Carte De Tendre, Spring 2016 showcase.
Overnight, the designer ditched the power glamazon that has ruled this particular runway until now in favour of a gentler more free-spirited creature. His men are not afraid to explore their feminine side, his women are, equally, fluid where gender is concerned. Vintage-inspired tea dresses, pussy bow blouses, androgynous tailoring and, of course, fur-lined loafers and clogs are just some of the pieces that have set sartorially discerning hearts aflutter so far.
Michele sent models sashaying down the carpeted runway in swirling sequined skirts, an abundance of ruffles and strikingly sheer blouses and dresses (see-through is emerging as a major S/S ’16 trend). The whimsically girly effect was reined in by that Gucci house signature, the weighty green and red stripe, anchoring the hemline of skirts, while pleated silk satin and leather midi skirts and black and gold designs added a level of heady opulence.
Michele’s inspiration – French philosopher Madeleine de Scudéry’s 17th-century La Carte de Tendre map – appeared printed on fantastical dresses and a pleated skirt, while models donned broad-rimmed glittery spectacles that amplified the eccentricity of Michele’s designs. It wasn’t hard to identify the It-piece of the collection – sky-high T-bar platform heels in myriad hues gave weight to the girly looks. For the boys, it was all about vibrant lace separates, embroidered with oversized floral motifs, and whimsical summer suits.
Rather than any radical about turn, a lovely evolution was the order of the day at this showing, name checking ‘Carte de Tendre’, published in 1854 by Madeleine de Scudery, described in the show notes as ‘a map of tenderness, a moving topography of desire’.
Photographs: Pier Nicola Bruno
Gurl Interrupted
A Girl Interrupted By Fashion, Beauty & Anything Pretty That Catches My Eye
