Magic mirrors and metamorphosis at Exquisite Gucci

During Milan Fashion Week, the Italian brand presented Exquisite Gucci, Alessandro Michele’s new collection, which explores the phantasmagorical power of fashion through the reflections of magical mirrors.

Gucci, Alessandro Michele’s new collection, which explores the phantasmagorical power of fashion through the reflections of magic mirrors. In his show notes, Alessandro Michele spoke of the “suffocating perspective” of seeing things exactly as they are, so he made sure his latest collection was seen exactly as it is not.

The walls and pillars in the centre of the room were covered with mirrors that created optical illusions, distorting the image and astonishing the audience while paying homage to metamorphosis: “A space where the playful mechanics of reflections break all spatial limits and open the way to evasion”.

Each of Alessandro Michele’s collections is a variation on the concept of reflection. It presents his kaleidoscopic vision of the world in general and of more specific themes, such as masculinity, which took centre stage during a Milan Fashion Week focused on femininity.

The suit was treated as an object of tailoring. How many variations can there be? Many. Paradigmatic or as a play on proportions; shorter or with contrasting cuffs; with too few buttons or too many; without lapels or with false lapels; and, often, with a style that furthers Gucci’s emerging urban sartorial aesthetic.

Clothing itself is a reflection of our image and wearing it “means crossing a transformative threshold where we become something else; it means being able to enhance and articulate in a different way our identity and our exhibition potential”. As with the exquisite corpse, the inspiration for provocation and a game that gained popularity among surrealist artists who used it to generate collaborative compositions, Alessandro Michele infused myriad codes into the collection, including those of adidas.

Many designs have been enhanced with a specially created logo or the ubiquitous three stripes, which can be seen on a wide range of items from classic suit jackets to sportier styles such as the Gazelle trainers.

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This open attitude towards code-mixing is a testament to the fluidity that has distinguished the brand’s collections for the past seven years, enriching and expanding the Gucci lexicon, a universal aesthetic that always tries to speak a language that everyone can understand.

Billie Eilish is the face of the latest Gucci Eyewear campaign.