We can all admit one thing. Gucci had quite the year. From its viral collaborations with Adidas, Dickies, and Harry Styles, as well as its biggest showcase ever, “Twinsburg,” the brand has made its mark as Alessandro Michele led to its former glory. So when the news of their creative director’s departure hit everyone’s media, an obvious shock rippled through the industry. Everyone was curious about who will be able to fill in those iconic shoes. Where does Gucci go next, and how will it get there?
The answer was opening for the Milan Fashion Week, presenting their Fall/Winter 2023 menswear collection after three years. A collection designed by their in-house design team that worked closely with Michele. But when the first outfit stepped down the runway, it was clear that it was clearly not an extension of his work. In fact, it was a complete 180. A plain pair of tan trousers with a t-shirt, classic but also indicates that the age of Michele’s maximalism has ended. Gucci was going back to basics and drew inspiration from their archival staples (the pre-Michele era).
Even though this stark difference was almost jarring at first, leaning into the casualization of the daily formal wear was something I almost enjoyed. The oversized boxy suit ensembles were appealing to millennials and Gen Z. Everything about the styling was clean but, at the same time, chaotic in the details, from the stretched-out necklines on the t-shirts to the raw hems. The collection and the styling suggested the malleability of masculinity as we saw skirt trousers and dress coasts swished down.
But when the chunky and striped sweaters started to roll in, it felt like it was in poor taste. Not only did it not feel like a continuation of the first half of the collection the styling was tacky. The shiny silver pants, hot pink 70s track pants and the fur collars all lead me to think were all nods at nostalgia, but at the same time, including them all felt almost unnecessary. While I don’t detest them by themselves, it felt like a contradiction to the first half of what the designs represented. Sequin overkill in trousers and tops almost felt like the brand’s goodbye to Michele at the end.
Overall, the collection definitely felt more commercially driven and a retrospective of its style history as it said its final goodbye to its recently departed creative director.
Words by Rhea Gupta.
Graphics by Danna Macias.