Editor’s Review: At Gucci, designer Demna is ready to make tills ring

Fashion

Well, that’s one way to get the tastemakers of fashion into a Gucci store to check out the merchandise — make the show set into a massive Gucci flagship boutique. In what Demna framed as his first fully realised collection in his vision, the designer, who has spent 12 months diving deep into the archives of the 105-year-old brand, decided that the way forward for this hallowed house was to create a collection that channelled a message of rebellious sophistication.

Broken into two equal parts, the designer had the men come out to play first. In looks that arguably blurred gender lines (think Bowie at his best) the men commanded the catwalk in tailored, if roomy, suits and separates. They spent as much time looking in the tall mirrors that framed parts of the runway as their female counterparts who followed, and took pleasure in the drama of wearing loafers with oversized tassels and belts worn low – very low – below the hips. Crafted from three bands of leather and a triptych of metal horsebit closures that instantly drew attention to the waist, the accessory was by far the star  of the show. And when it also appeared on bags, it was clear that Demna had created a covetable new line of iconic accessories to add to the brand’s ever-growing archives.

When it was the women’s turn to saunter through the Gucci store they certainly gave the boys that preceded them a run for their money. These were Demna’s dames. Women who are used to taking their time, slowing their roll, and enjoying every moment of being the centre of attention. In their exaggerated peak-shouldered jackets, glossy black leather knee-high boots with low-slung spurs hanging off the heels, and “too cool for school” plaid separates they commanded the room.

And while the men were offered a wardrobe that had some give in it, the new Gucci woman will need to stick to her GLP-1 diet to enjoy the second-skin riding pants and trousers, body-con pencil skirts, and slinky cutaway dresses. That being said, Demna’s outerwear game for the woman was on point — in particular the rounded puffy bomber and leather jackets, and one show-stopping golden faux fur coat outfitted with an outsized Gucci horsebit at the back. And look 61 was pretty much a faultless example of what a modern cool girl would kill to wear.

If these were Demna’s versions of “ladies who lunch”, well then, lunch is at 3 am and these are women who could just as easily throw down as they could mount a hostile takeover. These Gucci women mean business – so watch your back.

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