WHEN a house like Gucci does prospers seventies with a sense of conviction that is unmatched. The decade was a golden age seventy and Frida Giannini Gucci girl at heart, must have delighted in the preparation of the spring collection.
It was appealing from the outset, from the perspective of openness – a button through the narrow shoulder A-line skirt suit rendered in white leather – suede coat candy-colored dresses with gold buttons Navy stonking; this collection zinged with confidence. Blue denim – A favorite Giannini – Worked in swingy cropped culottes with exaggerated turn-ups and maxi shirt dresses with white shoes laces cross natty sleeves and plunging necklines.
Blousy boho dresses in muted prints were covered with retro patchwork vests exploding in luxury, made of snakeskin, bright and Mongolian goat hair. The range of colors – and those skins and chamois were more likely to fall in the summer – something that seems to be less of a trend and more of the norm in many of the collections to date. Now is the job of the resort collections that hold summer colors and fabrics.
This land clothing store in February, at a time when most of us are not thinking about shedding our layer – not to mention many other things. Shorter skirts this afternoon made all point to one thing: officially skimming strapless – suddenly even the very idea of it seems dated. Instead, Giannini proposed oriental style dresses with mandarin collar and embroidery as a precious antique piano shawl. This collection had sass, glamor and commercialism in spades – and that’s not even counting the suede boots stacked heel and polished leather saddlebags so old – everything, in fact, that women want from Gucci.
Kate Moss and Charlotte Casiraghi (who is the new face of Gucci cosmetics – a new category that opens today with Pat McGrath as artistic director) cheered from the front row.
