For the second womenswear chapter of Sabato de Sarno’s story at Gucci, the plot didn't change; on the contrary, it solidified. A debut collection gives you hints about who is behind it, but there's still a veil of uncertainty as it intrinsically signifies a moment of change between a world of ideas that left and a new world that just arrived. In all creative disciplines, the first step is always the hardest one, but after you find the right content and the right way to make it tangible, there’s no way but up. It may not be the trend lately, but the need to give creative directors time is fundamental. After it, you can see if there's a strong moral code that the creator won't give up no matter what, or if the external comments and pressure find a way to alter the primary idea. Sabato belongs to the first category.
As we witnessed on the menswear collection this past January, Sabato de Sarno keeps his feet on the ground and wants its customers to do so as well, although a couple of inches above it won't seem like a big problem if it means sporting the already celebrated Horsebit platform loafers everyone has been wearing for months now. Reality is the primal idea around which the new Gucci is being developed: understanding the needs of the real humans that inhabit this world, ones that care about not only aesthetics but also functionality and quality above all. As de Sarno explains, fashion for him is not an escape route to leave the present and discover imaginary or hypothetical scenarios; fashion is a vessel to explore and create alternatives and ways of navigating through our current reality in the best way possible.
But being aware of your reality does not necessarily mean lacking critical thinking or not being able to explore a different point of view or perspective than the normative, but you can do so in a subtle and tasteful way, and thats what this collection was about. In the details, we can find the joy, and as a big lover of the craft and the pure efficacy of the power of the clothes, the garments that graced the runway can be perceived in two ways. From afar, they are chic, they are flattering, and they are nice. The colour scheme is pleasing to look at, with those particular shades that drive between the colourful and the muted, with the Ancora red less present in quantity but maintaining its relevance in a couple of key looks. The styling gives a sort of effortless and nonchalant vibe to elegant attire, with open collars not placed exactly where they are supposed to and sunglasses paired with refined dresses and coats.
From up close, the pretty turns into beautiful. The craftsmanship behind the construction of the pieces, the tailoring on the coats, the patterns of the twin sets, the darts on the dresses, and the embroidery on the bomber jackets. The closer you are, the more you get into Sabato’s universe. A trio of jackets that appear halfway through the show—one ancora red, one baby blue, and one black—look like they have some sort of geometric texture from a distance, but paying close attention to them makes you realise the monogram motif going on, with the iconic logo forming said texture. As a logomania hater myself, there’s nothing better than seeing the symbol of a brand integrated in such a present but subtle way into the clothes; it turns a scream of wealth into a whisper of taste. The little logos on the equally thin belts are also a sweet detail on the same line.
For this new era of Gucci, there is a strong influence on what the house was intended for at the moment of its creation. Good shoes and good bags. The shoes have undivided attention on the lower part of the body, with the complete absence of pants in the whole collection, giving space to thigh-high boots, horse ride boots, and stunning platform heels that are sisters of the Horsebit loafers to shine. As for the bags,they were present on the majority of looks with a new addition to the family, GG Milano, probably making reference to Gucci’s new house after moving its headquarters from Rome to Milan a couple of months ago.
The jewellery was a nice common thread between all the looks, and it felt referential to the thin scarf/leash/necklace moment from menswear, with golden chokers lying on top of thin and long pieces of fabric that fell on the models back and flew behind them as they rushed through the runway. With this, Sabato de Sarno gives us a new version of his reality, and hopefully this second installment will be sufficient to make the nonbelievers believe and, aside from personal taste, understand that his motivations are fair and his ideas are good.
