September 21, 2024 |
Sabato De Sarno’s SS25 Gucci collection had an endless summer vibe. “It’s the moment the sun dives into the sea at the end of an August day,” he said of the emotional happy place from which his collection grew. The curving exhibition space at Triennale Milan became a Gucci boardwalk, with mood lighting set to ‘sunset’ as the designer laid out his vision.
Jackie O in her headscarf-and-big-sunnies Capri-era was on his mood board and “casual grandeur” – the vivid description of her effortless yet glamorous style – fired his imagination. Move over quiet luxury, your era is over. De Sarno is showing a new, more charismatic way to dress.
De Sarno’s ‘Casual Grandeur,’ means floor sweeping coats, tailored to sartorial perfection but worn with jeans and a tank top. There was casual grandeur too in the short, Sixties silhouettes, bubble-hemmed minis, biker maxi skirts, clean cut coats rippling with waves of beads, and mirror sequin party dresses. Tom Ford’s famous cut-out 1996 jersey dresses inspired a series of slinky draped dresses cinched with gold hardware. De Sarno injected more sensuality with sheer, lingerie lace dresses and little bra tops.
Gucci is a house built on accessories. There were plenty of Jackie bags on display (and models sporting her signature silk head scarf and oversized glasses) but the Gucci Bamboo was the star bag. It came in several different sizes with its bamboo handle fashioned in lacquer and even plexiglass, a luxe evolution that which mirrored the excellent show jewellery. Nonchalant, every day, easy – but very sure of itself. Sabato’s era of ‘Casual Grandeur’ is shaping up nicely.
Photography courtesy of Gucci.
