Gucci. Spring 2022 Read-to-Wear. Los Angeles. November 12, 2021 "Is the beginning of the end of Michele’s Gucci." (A.Glass 2021)

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(Images: Gucci 2021)

Alessandro Michele has returned to the runway with gusto, leaving off from his extravagant Resort 2022 affair, in the wake of Michele’s humility laced 2020 open letter to the fashion world in lieu at the height of the pandemic and widespread lock downs throughout Europe. He wrote a heart fell plea, amidst a pandemic that at the time showed no sign in slowing down, while it did indeed structurally slow down the industrial world to a crunch, in which Michele added in his response to the fashion industry pre and post pandemic in light of its race to return to the old normal, “Above all we understood we went way too far. Our reckless actions have burned the house we live in,”. As sincere as this may have sounded, it was in fact it was a virus that made everything stop and slow down, to which, under economic conditioning we all grumbled, sans that mad rush and asymmetrical vaccinations that occurred to reopen the global economies in 2021, we’re amidst a global supply chain crunch that we have not seen in history.  

So, Michele’s down-to-earth Gucci of the 2020 seasons as reinvented itself under the holding company’s watchful eye as return to Tom Ford’s glamor and sex appeal. This reinvigoration is on cue when the lock downs and restrictions began to ease throughout Europe, a snap back to opulence to drive Gucci sales, which is the number one earner for the Kering, appears to be the priority. Which, at the same time also seems to have redefined Michele’s thrift mix-and-max eccentricity to a more tailored Eros style. Yet, I wonder if it has forced the hand of the Michele’s creative direction moving him away from the his empathetic open-letter esque resonation to the glamor the Gucci did once represent, particularly under Ford’s tenure. 

Gucci’s Spring 2022 collection was revealed at the famous Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, the celebratory display was clearly orchestrated as an offering to the celebrities alike that were in attendance at the ‘Hollywood’ Gucci show, with Michele commenting that, “Los Angeles is not a fashion city, but it is so fashionable,” which may or may not be the case, but one thing reigns true, Los Angeles has something that no other city on Earth can rival, it is the dream makers, Hollywood, that by its definition is the epitome of glamor within all of its exclusive personage.  

As mentioned, Michele’s sleekness and tailored flows for the infamous fashion house have replaced his over fits and second hand roused idiosyncratic styles, ensuring that the Gucci’s imprinted romanticism ala via the silver screen with the biographical crime drama “The House of Gucci”, directed by Ridley Scott, which has just released holds the benchmark for his latest array. Allowing the Gucci 1980s hyper decadence to stream from Michele latest collection, into a serious and gelid demure as a template of Michele changing direction. Satin, furs, suspenders, ambition and greed. It feels paradoxical to not only his earlier decrees of leveling out and creating an empathetic feel for the Gucci brand name, but also this collection has tapped into the hungry ghosts of the Gucci family legacy that is, by all accounts, was riddled with power games, betrayal and murder. The collection is neither soft or subtle, but fused, within its Hollywood and 80’s hedonistic glamor of the Gucci namesake, to be the most blunt, cold and belied styles from Michele to date. 

It is hard to say if this is the beginning of the end of Michele’s Gucci.

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(A.Glass 2021)