RUNWAY | REVIEW
Gucci’s Oriental Exploration
By: Cecilia Zhang
Courtesy of Gucci
Alessandro Michele has been making waves with his romantic and eclectic aesthetics since he took the job as Gucci’s creative director. In just a year, he has not only become the most-copied fashion designer and set a new trend in the fashion world, but also reinvigorated Gucci both creatively and commercially.
Alessandro Michele has been making waves with his romantic and eclectic aesthetics since he took the job as Gucci’s creative director. In just a year, he has not only become the most-copied fashion designer and set a new trend in the fashion world, but also reinvigorated Gucci both creatively and commercially.
For Gucci’s Fall 2016 Collection, Michele did more of the same- infusing a variety of trends like 70’s redux design, Renaissance and street style into one collection. Some of the looks are so geeky like puffy-shouldered trench coats, pussy bows blouses, multilayered dresses, platform sandals and marvelous mixed embellishments including ruffles, fur trims and pearl accessories. Natural-inspired pattern is still the key character. The colors are as rich and bold as precious collections he designed for Gucci. |
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Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv/Voguerunway
Gucci Fall 2016 Menswear Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com/Voguerunway The most popular focus of this collection is a series of Chinese-inspired pieces. This is not the first time Michele has shown his imaginative obsession with eastern culture. In his earlier Men’s 2016 Fall Collection, the animal-inspired (tiger, actually) chullo hat, complete with ears, was one of the most eye-catching items. It was clearly influenced by the traditional Chinese hat for children- almost everyone in China remembers that hat from childhood. |
Chinese traditional tiger hats for children
Source: Textile Museum of Canada |
Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv/Voguerunway
Besides hats, which reappeared on the runway of Gucci 2016 Fall Women's RTW Collection, there are some dresses that obviously reference the most iconic dress in China- the cheongsam (qipao). This kind of dress features a body-hugging silhouette in order to highlight the waistline and a unique type of collar. It became the most common and popular dress in China, especially in Shanghai and Hong Kong, during the 1920s and continues today. Obviously, Michele deeply understands the essence of Cheongsam
and perfectly shows the opulence of its fabrics and the complexity of embroideries.
Cheongsam inspired dresses c. 1960s Source: WGSN
Michele even considers the needs of Gucci’s consumers at different ages. For instance, there is a silk mini cheongsam dress with exotic printing and fur trims that looks lovely and is suitable for young consumers. Another silk cheongsam dress embellished with throughout-the-body sequins, Chinoiserie embroidered flowers and tassels, is more feminine and attractive for Gucci’s middle-aged clients.
It’s hard to know if Gucci’s strategy is to blend more Chinese elements to increase sales of Chinese market or if it’s simply Michele’s personal interest, but this fusion of East and West is bound to be successful.
Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv/Voguerunway