The Gucci Cruise Fashion Show 2018 took place at the Palazzo Pitti, a Renaissance-era palace in Florence, Italy. As magnificent as it sounds, the location was actually a Plan B. Alessandro Michele reportedly wanted his fashion show to take place in Athens, Greece, and he had a particular place in mind: the Parthenon.
During an interview for Vogue, the creative director of the Italian fashion house said: “At the beginning, everything started in the Mediterranean, the Greek and Roman cultures. But we couldn’t have Athens, so I went to the next big step in civilization, the Renaissance, so we came here to Florence, the fascinating metropolis of the past, the place which had the power of big money.”
The Gucci Renaissance Experience
Instead of sending out invitations, the luxurious brand sent personalized hats to the A-list guests, who were also invited to take a tour around the Palace before the collection was presented.
Sitting in the front row were fashion insiders, musicians, and actors, like Jared Leto, Dakota Johnson, Elton John, and Beth Ditto. After changing into another Gucci outfit, this time a short length green dress, Ditto performed a set of two songs, “Heavy Cross” (an old track from her band Gossip) and “Fire," her latest single.
Alessandro Michele as Gucci’s creative director
Since he took over the Italian brand as creative director in January 2015, Michele’s vision has been very consistent about what he wants his collections to look like, something that will stand out in a crowd.
Even with the financial success of his collections, Alessandro received some criticism in the past, as some think he can be repetitive.
Lightweight gowns, combined with big heavy coats and colorful prints that were perfectly tailored -- as well as a harp player -- were used to set the mood and deliver his ideas as part of the Cruise collection this year.
An interesting detail for this show was the museum-like ropes that went along the catwalk, giving the idea that the models and the clothes they’re wearing were like paintings and sculptures in a museum (like the ones that are hanging on the palace's walls), therefore, they should not be touched and the audience should maintain a certain distance.
Or maybe it was actually a quick solution to a problem they faced hours before the models went on stage. The viewers were left to wonder.
Whatever your thoughts are, Michele is very selective about where he goes for inspiration, and his vision is undoubtedly one of a kind, shifting the direction of the Gucci brand into something no one thought possible before his arrival.
