Posted on 26th February, 2010 | No Comment
WRTW Spring/Summer 2010 Collection
MOOD
For Spring Summer 2010 Creative Director Frida Giannini presents a double-faced collection that exposes both Gucci’s noble traditions as well as the House’s firm view towards the future. Using iconic elements of Gucci’s storied past as well as the most classic of wardrobe essentials—the Little Black Dress—as a launching point, Giannini offers her own dynamic and coherent vision of modern femininity. Shot with the adrenaline of extreme sports and their technical details, these classics have been reborn and contemporized, emphasizing the dual forces of tradition and innovation. The collection is unapologetically confident and resolutely sexy in its mood, yet grounded in the complex workmanship techniques and impeccable craftsmanship for which the House of Gucci is known.
SILHOUETTE
A body conscious silhouette runs throughout the collection, underscored by curved seams, anatomical cuts and taut lines. The key piece is the short, figure-hugging dress deciphered in a new, sexy athleticism and not-only-black variations. The dresses, as well as slim pants and precious python or leather jackets, have been carved into, leaving slices of skin exposed. Straps and jewel-like harnesses featuring intricate metal embroideries cage in compact dresses, knit tops and jackets, underscoring the focus on the body and adding a subversive touch. The new suit is a buckled jacket with a zippered pencil skirt or tight pant. Also noteworthy are a super high-waisted, slim pant and featherweight, mesh-lined leather bombers. Gucci’s famed horsebit, reinterpreted as a mechanical cord belt, cinches the chest or waist, while elements of extreme sports—latches, cinch pulleys, technical clasps, and vertical panels of looped cords, are rendered in total luxury.
PRINT AND MATERIAL
Nearly every garment offers an elaborate collage of contrasting materials. Precious perforated leathers are patched together with technically treated silks, wools or cottons. Mesh or nylon inserts are cut into the waists and backs of dresses or sleeves of jackets while rubber piping, metal buckles, carbon fiber and geometric constructions contribute to the collection’s sport undertone. The bold patterns of traditional ikat prints gives a highly graphic edge to the collection while their meticulous workmanship underscores Gucci’s technical excellence. One ikat pattern is entirely crafted from micro-strips of woven leather while another features sliced printed fabric reapplied as an embroidery. A silk jacquard has been lacquered and polished for a chinz effect. Black crepe de chine, featured on the reverse side of the dresses, acts as a visual opponent to the brilliant front shots of cobalt blue, reflector orange and magenta. Crisp whites and shades of grey complete this strong, feminine palette.
EVENING
The concept is enlivened and illuminated for evening when the jewel-like harnesses become more precious with large crystals and black metal beading. Sharp cocktail tuxedos, slashed through the legs and with open jacket backs, have a dangerous air, as do black silk jersey columns with sexy cut-outs. The double-faced little black dress continues its evolution with short grey and black dresses in techno-crepe de chine featuring knife-thin metal embroidery, and with body skimming dresses caged within metal and crystal embroideries that have a touch of rock n’ roll.
ACCESSORIES
A combustion of House tradition and cutting edge techniques leads to a rich and luxurious variety of accessories. Gucci’s famed Bamboo bag, first introduced in the late 1940s, is reborn as the New-Bamboo with a leather-wound handle, new shoulder strap and innovative materials such as stoned pigskin, stoned crocodile, and bonded neoprene GG. Crocodile, the noblest of Gucci’s historic skins, has undergone a radical transformation – fading from a smoked, opaque surface to a hand-polished brilliance in a web effect on flat clutches or oversized bags. The mechanical horsebit cinched with ropes of braided leather has become a key feature on the handbag handles. Metal embroidery appears on white calfskin handbags, silver rope necklaces, and on evening platform sandals that climb up the ankle. Platform shoes, grab the ankle with a buckle while a spliced knee-high boot dramatically spirals up the calf.
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