Lady Gaga welcomes us to the House Of Gucci
WE DREAMED of a distraction and the internet delivered.
A first look at new biopic House Of Gucci – delivered through a series of on-set shots – has piqued more than a bit of interest in the film, which depicts the ascent and assassination of former Gucci boss Maurizio Gucci.
The most enthralling of these behindthe-scenes teasers shows Adam Driver, wrapped in a cable-knit jumper and wearing thick-rimmed spectacles, standing before a perfect Alpine scene. Beside him is the villain of the piece, the ‘Black Widow’, as Maurizio’s wife Patrizia Reggiani was dubbed by the Milanese media. In case you hadn’t heard (is your phone broken?), she is played by Lady Gaga, in her first major role since her Oscar-nominated turn in 2018’s A Star Is Born.
There is no need to wait until this film lands in cinemas in November to conclude that director Ridley Scott is a casting genius. From these first pictures, it also seems fair to speculate that we have some pretty thrilling on-screen fashion headed our way. When winter returns, Gaga’s Reggiani has plenty of style inspiration to offer with her gold chains, mink Cossack hats and attention to full-throttle glamour. For the jumper obsessed British public, Driver’s cable knit is also catnip.
But it’s the plot line of the high fashion whodunnit that is the real reason to watch. In the briefest of terms – Sara G Forden wrote a whole book on the matter – House Of Gucci follows the real-life events of an Italian socialite who organised the killing of her ex-husband (and father to her two young daughters) in 1995. Maurizio Gucci, grandson of Gucci founder and heir to their fashion house, was one of Italy’s wealthiest men before he was gunned down on the steps of his building by a hitman.
During the heyday of their relationship, the couple, who married in 1972, were famed for their lavish lifestyle. Reggiani was dubbed the ‘Milanese Elizabeth Taylor’, while Gucci was considered an entitled rich kid who nearly ran the family fashion empire into the ground.
While we’ll have to wait to see which elements of the story Scott chooses to focus on, it’s Reggiani’s part that will make the most thrilling cinema. As quotable as Karl Lagerfeld, she famously said, ‘I would rather weep in a Rolls-royce than be happy on a bicycle.’ A cultural anti-hero, she sailed the Caribbean on a 200ft yacht and had an orchid habit that is said to have set the Gucci dynasty back £9,000 a month.
The couple, who were the 1980s answer to Kim and Kanye as far as media interest is concerned, parted ways in 1985, when Gucci moved in with his mistress. Ten years later, Reggiani ordered his killing.
When she was charged for the involvement in her husband’s murder, Reggiani starred in a courtroom drama that gripped Italy – think OJ Simpson levels of interest, with Tom Ford designing the suits. Among the most fascinating details to emerge was that Reggiani had hired four accomplices to carry out Gucci’s murder, one of whom was a psychic. When she was asked by a reporter why she hadn’t shot her husband herself, Reggiani responded, ‘I didn’t want to miss.’
November can’t come quick enough.