The fashion and film industries are intimately intertwined. Whether it’s iconic style moments in cult-favorite movies or celebs partying with creative designers at the Met Gala, the two worlds have mingled since they were born into existence. And since Alessandro Michele took the reigns of Gucci in 2015, we saw those ties drawn tighter. With a dedicated following including Harry Styles and Dakota Johnson, Michele exposed us to a modern rendition of the Italian house, filled with eccentricity and ruffled blouses. The definition of camp, Gucci takes itself seriously in a way that allows exploration and oversaturated whimsy. We’re all in on the joke, but no one is supposed to laugh. In some ways, Gucci is a deadpan comedy.
For the brand’s ‘Love Parade,’ an extension of Gucci’s 100-year anniversary celebration, Michele set his sights on Hollywood, turning the Walk of Fame into his runway. According to the designer’s press release, his mother worked in film, setting the stage for a lifelong affinity for old glamour. Michele waxed poetic about the ephemeral power Hollywood and its entities have over us, stating in the show notes:
This boulevard of stars lends perfect support to my uncurbed love for the classical world. Hollywood is, after all, a Greek temple populated by pagan divinities. Here actors and actresses are acknowledged as heroes of the myth: hybrid creatures with the power to hold divine transcendence and mortal existence at the same time, both the imaginary and the real. They are the idols of a new contemporary cosmogony, embodying a persistence of the sacred. Aphrodite, Theseus, Pandora, and Medusa still live in Hollywood’s Olympus. Beyond reach, and yet, so human.
The multifaceted stereotypes of Hollywood were all represented through Gucci’s fashion-forward farce. Its lens translated cowboy hats as a nod to western spaghettis. A gilded snake is perfectly fit for Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra. Veronica Lake’s boudoir robes took form as airy feathered gowns that we suspect are destined for Dakota Johnson’s next turn on the red carpet (who was in attendance, chatting away with Gwyneth Paltrow).
The runway wasn’t just influenced by Hollywood’s elite, but laden with them. Macaulay Culkin played the role of a sequined Hunter S. Thompson in a Hawaiian shirt, starring alongside Gucci’s usual clan: Jared Leto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeremy Pope, Steve Lacy, St. Vincent, Phoebe Bridgers, and more all walked the runway.
Set under the palm trees and flashing lights, the clamorous spectacle of the show was about as fashion with a capital F as you can get, further proving that the industry is rapidly moving away from its New York capital. That’s show business, baby.
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