Who Is The New Gucci Girl?

I think most of the fashion industry was surprised or rather shocked at Alessandro Michele's debut collection for Gucci last week.

If we think back to the past to when Tom Ford brought the house back to life in the late 90s; the Gucci girl was strong, powerful and very attractive. Then, when Frida Giannini took hold of the reigns in 2006, the Gucci girl maintained being strong and independent but at the same time she had a darker, more elusive side- a side which has been carried through to the present day. With Alessandro Michele now at the forefront of Italian fashion, a question relating to his work sparks interest with fashion enthusiasts, is there even a Gucci girl anymore? 

My general feeling surrounding the collection was that it portrayed a younger girl in quite a confused state. Was she a boy or a girl? Shown through the androgynous tailoring of a handful of pieces, forming a quite masculine silhouette but also the mixed sex casting. The collection had the potential to be beautiful, however this was downplayed by the mismatch of colour combinations and the substantial lack of styling throughout. 

We still had strong Gucci references fluctuating through collection. From the horse bit loafers, in a fur-lined slipper form, or the signature Gucci print which marked the leather goods to the iridescent pleated dresses which radiated through the stronger Tom Ford years. 

Michele had everything he needed to execute an outstanding debut show; unfortunately I felt that there was a clear unbalance between his creative search for the Gucci girl and the target market to which he will try and aim his sales.

On the topic of sales, Michele's rushed debut menswear collection for the house certainly sent mixed signals to the critics and buyers. Sales surged from this dramatically new and fresh aesthetic. Consequently, I think it will be intriguing to watch the evolution of Michele's work at Gucci. He, without a doubt, obtains the heights of a unique creative mind, but time will tell how he will choose to apply it.

                  
                          Picture Courtesy of Style.com