Alessandro Michele gucci

Alessandro Michele

You don’t quite know what to expect the moment you enter the cavernous space of the Gucci F/W ’17 collection where the brand debuted its first co-ed runway show. Set in the Gucci Hub – the brand’s new HQ – the complex sits on a sprawling 376,737 sq ft-wide site that was formerly an aeronautical factory. What greets you the moment you step inside the hall is the deep purple light the entire space is bathed in. Next, you notice the giant purple curtains hanging from the uber high ceilings (mental note: this would have been definitely been the old hangar) that concealed the catwalk behind. Then there was the haunting and hypnotic soundtrack of waves crashing mixed with the droning of deep heavy breathing. In a sense, this is all familiar territory for creative director Alessandro Michele, who is known to imbibe guests to his shows in a kind of sensory overload — be it with his majestic sets, the multitude of influences he mines for each collection, the ethereal music et cetera.

Just as the ambient music comes to a halt, the curtains are drawn up. What is revealed is a labyrinthine glass tunnel surrounding a giant glass pyramid with a wind vane perched at the top. What that structure means is anybody’s guess, but with Michele’s raging imagination and fascination with the occult and surrealism, that surely must have some sort of symbolism. And that “OMG” moment was written all over the faces of the guests that were seated directly beyond that glass tunnel.

So were the 119 looks that walked the runway as theatrical as the show setting? There were plenty (follow our Instagram Stories when we view the clothes up close during a resee presentation today). But for now, here’s some to note:

 

#1: The Attitude

Alessandro Michele

Yes, there were the usual floaty and ethereal looks which Michele does so well, but some of the most intriguing pieces in this Fall Winter ’17 collection came with a ruffian attitude. There were balaclavas worn with a ’20s-era tennis dressing and pussybow dresses, while some of the models sported septum rings with horns.

 

#2: The Coco Capitan Connection

The Spain-born, London-based photographer and illustrator was responsible for the scrawly and graffiti-inspired typography on the show invite. The latter was a vinyl featuring the readings of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience by Florence Welch and Jane Austen’s Persuasion by A$AP Rocky. On the clothes, a tank top was emblazoned with her handwritten slogan, “Common Sense Is Not That Common”. Mark our words when we say that Capitan’s merchandise will be the next big bestsellers at Gucci.

 

#3: The Chain Mail Body Suit, Masks and Stockings

Alessandro Michele Alessandro Michele

Possibly the most avant-garde Michele has been, the full bodysuits that covered the face and limbs looked like chainmail but was actually mesh made up of crystals. For something less outre, there were stocking versions.

 

#4: The Stacked Bags

Alessandro Michele

Two, or sometimes three, different kind of bags were attached to one another via hooks and chains to create a totally new style. Think of this as the ultimate bag personalisation.

 

Like this? Check out the best dressed A-Listers at the Fall/Winter 2017 fashion shows, customise your Gucci bag at the new Ion Orchard store and why you need to invest in a puffer jacket, stat