Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele has a knack for melding old with the new.
For Gucci’s pre-fall 2019 campaign released earlier this year, models were transported to the ruined temples at Selinunte Archaeological Park in Sicily where a group of friends in ’80s grunge haircuts and tattoos were photographed against the ancient Greek city. For the Gucci cruise 2020 show, Michele’s love affair with Greek and Roman antiquity continued, this time at The Capitoline Museums in Rome.
Staged at Rome’s Musei Capitolini, which is said to be one of the world’s first museums, the location held a very special place in Michele’s heart. As described in the show’s notes, it was the location he frequented throughout his youth and the place he returned to for inspiration for the Gucci cruise 2020 collection, which had references to ancient Rome peppered throughout the presentation. Guests were given a package that contained an ancient book with a quote that read, “Only pagan antiquity awakened my desire, because it was the world of before, because it was an abolished world,” by French historian and archaeologist, Paul Veyne. Leaning into the theme a bit more, attendees were encouraged to use the flashlights placed on each seat to help illuminate the dark setting to see the collection.
The Gucci Cruise 2020 runway was awash with ancient Greek-inspired looks, including a long red cape with gold embroidery at the hem and a yellow and pink deep-v gown before Alessandro Michele dove into the future a bit with a white multi-tiered lace dress, strong-shouldered suits, and corduroy pants in vibrant hues.
Oh, Mickey Mouse made an appearance, too.
However, a reoccurring theme throughout the collection was women’s liberation. A model walked down the runway in a sweater with the date “22.5.78” emblazoned on the front, a nod to “the Italian statute for the social protection of motherhood and the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, better known as statute 194,” the brand explained on its social media.
The Gucci Cruise 2020 runway was awash with ancient Greek-inspired looks, including a long red cape with gold embroidery at the hem and a yellow and pink deep-v gown before Alessandro Michele dove into the future a bit with a white multi-tiered lace dress, strong-shouldered suits and corduroy pants in vibrant hues
Gucci also made it clear that it was pro-choice and debuted a blazer that read, “My Body My Choice,” a timely message in light of the debate over abortion rights happening in the United States.
There was also a cream floor-length gown with a uterus embroidered on the front, which he designed to remind people that “women should really be respected and considered as much as men, they should have freedom of choice, even to interrupt a pregnancy, which is the most difficult one,” he explained to WWD.
Gucci’s Resort 2020 show drew a gang of stars, including Elton John, Zoe Saldana, A$AP Rocky, Salma Hayek, K-Pop singer Kai, Harry Styles and more.
Gucci took the crowd from the Musei Capitolini to the Palazzo Brancaccio for a night full of entertainment from DJs, including Zumi Rosow, and a special performance by Stevie Nicks and Harry Styles. The duo delivered a rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” written by Nicks, and “Stop Dragging My Heart” from her debut album Bella Donna.