What You Need To Know About Gucci’s Show

It wasn’t the first show on Milan’s fashion week calendar but it is unquestionably the most anticipated. And Gucci didn’t disappoint.

The front row was packed – Selma Hayak, Jarrod Leto, Tom Hiddleston, Alexa Chung, Charlotte Casiraghi, A$AP Rocky and Florence Welch were among those in the crowd (and that was just who I could see).

The collection itself was entitled The Alchemists Garden – and the invitations came in the form of an LP record packaged in a brown paper bag and stamped with a Gucci logo. Friends of the brand – think Florence Welsh and A$AP Rocky – featured on the record.

More than 120 unique and enthralling looks made up The Alchemist’s Garden – a show that was as much for the men as it was for the women, with Gucci cleverly combining both shows into one sitting. 

Although many of the tropes we’ve come to expect from Michele were present today – from florals and animalia to graffiti and geek glamour – everything felt fresh. 

Even Michele’s take on the humble handbag was fresh with some models layering up to three handbags at once.

After the 120th exit, with goosebumps on mass, the crowd rose to its feet and clapped Gucci’s creative director (in his Bespoke Gucci NY Yankees cap) in a standing ovation that lasted the entire length of his glass-encased runway. 

And when the purple curtain fell to close the show, an entirely different show was starting up once again, this time on the street.