Italian luxury label Gucci drew from its past to present an eclectic mix of looks at its womenswear show at Milan Fashion Week, paving the way for the next chapter as it awaits its new creative director.
The brand's creative team revisited Gucci's glamorous and colourful looks of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s - nodding to silhouettes and creations by past designers like Tom Ford and Frida Giannini.
Gucci parted ways with its star designer Alessandro Michele last November as sales lagged competitors, and the prized brand of French luxury group Kering (PRTP.PA) will welcome its new creative director, Sabato De Sarno, later this year.
A model wearing a tiny metallic bikini top, long black satin pencil skirt and gloves opened the show. Androgynous trouser suits followed as did plenty of faux fur coats in lilac, blue, fuchsia and yellow. There were furry lapels, oversized knits, footwear and bags. One coat dazzled with sparkling silver fringes.
"The Gucci Fall Winter 2023 Women's Collection connects the creative cultures that cross-pollinate the history of the House in an evocative but contemporary proposal," show notes read.
"A free expression founded in collective memories that blur the lines of time, it is an illustration of the beating heart of Gucci: the ecosystem of designers and artisans whose shared understanding of the House has passed down and evolved from creative to creative for over a century."
Slim trousers were slit at the bottom front while bustier dresses had exaggerated sides. One model wore a crumpled shirt tucked into a miniskirt, others were dressed in coats with voluminous shoulders.
There were plenty of see-through designs: white embroidered sheer shirts and skirts and black transparent dresses.
Tights were red, orange, lime and pale blue. There were new offerings of the Gucci loafer and the brand's famed handbags.
At the end of the show, Gucci's creative team came out to loud applause. De Sarno will present his first collection for Gucci in September.
At Tod's (TOD.MI), creative director Walter Chiapponi offered a sober collection in earthy tones that played with tailoring.
Models wore pea coats as well as long oversized coats, and also appeared in parkas and cropped aviator and elongated bomber jackets. Zipped ribbed tops had leather detailing while round-collared shirts had slightly voluminous shoulders.
Dresses were belted or had draped shoulders.
Called "Italian Feeling," the collection came in hues of brown, dark green, camel and cream. Chiapponi ended the show with several pinstripe looks.
"The idea was to go back to sobriety, with a certain rigidity in the construction," Chiapponi told reporters.
"In a way it's a very masculine show. The feminine touches are the skirts, embroideries... high heels."
