The Californian city has been chosen for this new season presentation, leaving no one indifferent.
Two of the great enfants terribles of fashion have gone through the same thing, falling in love with one of the most complex cities on the planet, Los Angeles. The first was Hedi Slimane, and now Alessandro Michele, creative director of Gucci, is going through the same process. He has surrendered to his aesthetic and has shown it in the presentation of the spring-summer 2022 Gucci Love Parade collection.
Los Angeles has been an obvious choice for media experts. Since the Italian took the reins of the Italian firm seven years ago, he has presented his collections in New York, Paris, Rome and, most of the time, in his birthplace: Milan. But it must be recognized that the garments Michele devised last night seemed to walk through their natural habitat. They were sewn to walk down Hollywood Boulevard, with its neon lights, to be one more on the Walk of Fame.
Michele also feels a special affection for this city that he visited for the first time at 27. Thus, he recognized his weakness behind the scenes: “Los Angeles is not a city of fashion, but it is so fashionable.” He also told those present that his mother was an accomplished film buff and worked as an assistant at a production company, which encouraged his love for classic Hollywood cinema. But Alessandro wanted to clarify that his collection also spoke of a contemporary vision of Los Angeles, again his unique and creative way of seeing things. When it was finally time for him to give a show again, what better way to do it than in the city of stars?
This year more than ever, it makes sense that this has been the scene for Gucci. Why? On November 26, the film is presented that deals with the history of the family that founded the brand. The story of the famous murder that chases the emblem of the two ‘G’s and which stars Lady Gaga.
Of course, the Gucci name has long been linked with Hollywood. It has dressed actresses its entire history. In fact, in this front row, one of the protagonists was Gwyneth Paltrow, who wore an updated version of the red velvet Gucci tuxedo designed by Tom Ford in 1996. But she was not the only one. There were ‘friends of Gucci’, including Macaulay Culkin, Miranda July, Jodie Turner-Smith and Jared Leto, who has a role in the film directed by Ridley Scott. Sitting in front of the Chinese Theater and along Hollywood Boulevard, they could enjoy the designer’s fanciful proposals.
At the press conference after the show, Michele confessed to the media that he had wanted to be a costume designer in his early days. And this very personal detail could be seen in her proposals, among which some dresses that rose to the next level stood out, more festive, which we are sure will be chosen by many actresses for the lavish galas of 2022. “My Hollywood is in the streets”, he said, and he showed it in that sartorial-sporty combination of wide-lapel jackets with brightly coloured knitted leggings and sneakers that characterize him so much and that, in addition to being fun, showed that post-pandemic comfort is here to stay.
He especially drew attention to his selection of accessories ranging from jewellery in the shape of sex toys to erotic inspiration with a lot of tight latex and transparent lace. Michele recalled that the roots of this collection, like others, are found in the “jet set, artists and cinema.” In the trailer for the film that we will see soon in theatres, a voiceover narrates: “It was a name that sounded so sweet, so seductive; synonymous with value” this has also been the Alessandro collection.