Milan Fashion Week: Gucci shows off a swinging new collection

Creative director Frida Giannini unveils a Gucci collection that serves as a celebration of London's swinging Sixties
20 February 2014

Milan Fashion Week got underway yesterday with a show which seemed to borrow its look from one of London's most iconic shopping streets. Taking glamour of the swinging Sixties as her starting point, creative director Frida Giannini unveiled a Gucci collection that served as a celebration of a quintessentially English aesthetic, synonymous with Carnaby Street.

In what marked a significant change of direction for the Italian fashion house -renowned for its dedication to clothes which scream with sex-appeal - this was a show which put oversized shearling coats, a pastel palette and most tellingly, a pair of slouch jeans at the top of its agenda.The result was refreshing - and extraordinarily casual.

Neatly fitted pea-coats and a two-piece suit in animal-print pony skin continued this retrospective into London's most stylish decade, as did the striking 'Biggles' inspired aviator glasses, worn by a host of models including supermodel and long-time Gucci ambassador Anja Rubik.

The Sixties theme was apparent throughout Gucci's latest collection, described by Gianinni as "glamour at its purest". But it was the plush fabrics and expert Milanese craftsmanship on display that was among the show's greatest strengths.

Knee-high boots, crafted from python and crocodile and worn by almost every model on the catwalk, served as a reminder of Giannini's dedication to the luxury consumer as did the house's latest reinterpretation of its iconic "Jackie" - a handbag popularised by its namesake, the Sixties icon Jackie Kennedy.

In what was a show full of of surprises, Giannini saved the most intriguing until last. Presenting the house's eveningwear offering for next season, she left flowing chiffon and thigh-spilts gowns entirely off the agenda. Instead, Gucci customers can expect tailored shifts embellished with geometric crystals and sleeveless wrap dresses with buffed leather bibs and collars.

This happy conclusion was fitting following a show in which Gucci demonstrated that it had finally cottoned on to the contemporary women's desire for low-key, functional fashion. Certainly, and despite all the cornflour blue and Pepto Bismal pink of display, this luxurious walk down memory lane may well succeed in allowing Gucci a new-found relevance among the world's most affluent fashion consumers. The times they are a changing.

London Fashion Week - in pictures

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