September 25, 2022 |
Was this Alessandro Michele’s most profound show yet? It felt like that. We went to Twinsberg, a Gucci-made place where everything and everyone is a twin. “Opposite, different, identical” as the Marianne Faithful-voiced soundtrack intoned. Alessandro Michele made a startling statement, choosing to show his SS23 collection on 68 sets of identical twins. That fact only became apparent at the end of the show when a screen bearing portraits of his models was raised to reveal a mirror runway, exactly twinning the other, look for look, stadium seats and all.
For the finale, each set of identically dressed, identical twin models joined hands and walked two by two. It was a simple but powerful gesture of togetherness and solidarity that packed a huge emotional punch.
The twinning idea was personal to Michele. His mother Eralda and her sister Giuliana were identical twins and he described the pair, who dressed alike, wore the same perfume and styled their hair the same way, as his two mothers. “It was so beautiful my life with a double love,” he mused. It led to his lifelong fascination with twins, not only for their arresting aesthetics but also because of the strength and mystery of the twin bond. He’d witnessed its power first-hand growing up and that simple finale gesture expressed what Michele described as a sense of “co-belonging and sisterhood that should guide our path through this planet”.
He’s touched on it before, (remember the matching Jared Leto moment at the Met Gala and the models carrying casts of their own heads?) but this show went deeper. Especially when set against an election campaign in Italy in which ultra-right-wing, anti-gay politicians are expected to win.
Michele had a riposte for that in his show, jackets emblazoned with Fuori!!! (which means Out), the name of the first Italian magazine, dedicated to sexual liberation, which was founded in 1971.
The clothes beautifully expressed Michele’s full vision for Gucci, which has always been about the freedom to express yourself with fashion. His signature seventies-inflected tailoring for men and women came with an erotic twist – new garter style trousers exposing the upper thighs, or were cropped to reveal thong and midriff. Workwear nods included logged oversized cargo jackets, and dungarees. There were folksy paisleys and florals, shell suits patched with chainmail, beautiful chinoiserie capes and lavish lamé gowns. Many models carried the new Equestrian Gucci bag, with its saddle-shaped flap, inspired by an archive design from 1981. There were also crystal teddy bear bags and cheeky Gremlin bag charms (in collaboration with Warner Bros.). So much choice. But that’s the point. Gucci is all about the freedom to be.
Photography courtesy of Gucci.
