Photo: Courtesy of Gucci
With new creative director Alessandro Michele at the helm, Gucci has a lot riding on tomorrow’s womenswear show. Michele’s Fall 2015 menswear collection, his first for the brand, was put together in just five days. It might be a harbinger of what’s to come for the 94-year-old house, or it might not—is five days of work really enough to judge? While many of the details of Michele’s showing tomorrow are under wraps, it’s still the debut of the season. We’ve compiled all the facts, from the change in the runway format to the models we can expect on the runway. Here’s everything you need to know before the lights go up on the catwalk tomorrow.
The Designer
Michele is largely a mystery to the fashion world, having risen through the ranks at the house over the past 12 years during both Tom Ford and Frida Giannni’s tenures. His background is in handbag design, having been the senior accessories designer at Fendi, where he worked with Giannini, before leaving Fendi and joining Gucci with her in 2002. By 2006, Michele was promoted to leather goods design director at Gucci, and promoted again in 2012 to associate director under Giannini. Michele has also served as the creative director of Richard Ginori 1735—a Florence-based porcelain brand purchased by Gucci in June 2013—since September 2014.
The Venue
Gucci will be presenting at the same venue as in previous seasons, Piazza Oberdan. There will be two big differences from Gucci catwalks past. First: There’s only one showing. In past seasons Gucci would present the collections in two back-to-back shows, making it possible for more buyers, press, and guests to see the show. The second change is the setup of the runway itself. Similar to the men’s showing in January—Michele’s first collection for the house—the runway will not be set up as a straight line. The space will instead be more of a room format, with the runway angling around sections of seated guests.
The Branding
Since Michele’s takeover, Gucci’s branding has undergone a slight change, most evident in its social media icons and the invites for its show. The house’s Facebook avatar is now a blush background with two intersecting G’s silhouetted in black—a dramatic difference from the gold G logo the brand had been using against different-colored backgrounds during Giannini’s helm. Invites to the Milan fashion week show are in line with this theme, with guests receiving pale pink paper invites with floral backing. Gucci shared its invite on its social channels in a bed of moody-hued silk flowers—perhaps a nod to the upcoming collection? The floral motif is a signature of the house that dates back to the ’60s, most recently getting a makeover under Giannini, who updated the pattern in 2004 and used it in her Resort 2015 collection.
The Guest List
Since there’s only one presentation, the guest list will reflect the change in spatial accommodations. As for the celebrity appearances, we’ve learned that there will be at least one star in attendance. Salma Hayek Pinault? Gucci face Blake Lively?
The Models
Longtime Gucci casting directors Barbara Nicoli and Leila Ananna will be casting the Fall 2015 show. The pair has already revealed one of the show’s models on their Instagram: a new face whose name they don’t divulge. But if her looks could talk, they’d say that her super-slender frame and long hair call to mind the opener of Michele’s debut gender-bending men’s show. One of Gucci’s go-to girls, Nadja Bender, also just landed in Milan for fashion week—we’d be surprised if she didn’t take a turn on Michele’s runway.
The Music
In keeping with previous seasons, Gucci’s runway will be soundtracked by Michel Gaubert.
The Press
Gucci is keeping mum about Michele’s womenswear debut, and the designer himself is following suit, granting a scarce number of interviews and declining to be recorded on video.
The Collection
If his men’s show is telling, Michele is looking to push the Gucci house into a more directional space. (New Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri said Michele’s appointment was “based upon the contemporary vision he has articulated for the brand that he will now bring to life.”) The trick will be marrying this buzzier approach with the commercial needs of a brand that is expected to grow its revenue beyond €3.49 billion (Gucci’s 2014 stat). Proposing masculin feminin pieces for men might not seem like a risky concept in this day and age, but Michele’s pussy-bow blouses and cropped jackets did raise a few eyebrows with retailers. Then again, he is a handbag designer through and through, and his accessories offering will likely be the deciding factor in his success. Things bode well for Michele in this arena, with Tom Ford telling The New York Times, “He was a great handbag designer when he worked with me.”
Tune in to our live-stream of the Fall 2015 Gucci show tomorrow at 9 a.m. EST.
—Steff Yotka, Style.com
