Luxe faux fur coats over pencil skirts paid homage to the days when Sophia Loren was a beloved customer at the Gucci store in Rome; shift dresses with oversized buttons and daringly high hemlines brought a dash of Jackie Kennedy.
The arithmetic of fashion goes like this: take a status brand, such as Gucci, and multiply it to the power of X by putting it in the hands of a zeitgeist-hitting designer.
The new collection, a group effort by the leaderless design team presented with chin-up fanfare, a live orchestra and trays of champagne, was a statement about what Gucci has been, and can be again with the right creative leader.
Having rolled the dice on an unknown name from within the design studio with the appointment of de Sarno, owners Kering are thought to be looking for a star designer to restore status.
Sales fell 24% in the last quarter of 2024, and designer Sabato de Sarno exited the brand a fortnight ago.
