ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

After a perplexing presentation last season, Gucci opened Milan Fashion Week with another exceptional show. Guests walked through black curtains to find themselves backstage where models were having their hair and make-up done.

The show started with the fall of pink drapes, unveiling a spinning showcase where actual members of the Gucci design team – in grey jumpsuits embroidered with "façonnières de rêves" (“creators of dreams” in French) – dressed models from racks of clothing and arrays of laid-out bags, shoes and other accessories, as hair and make-up artists did final touch-ups.

Once their ensembles were complete, each model stepped out to take her position behind the circular glass panels as the carousel rotated. After they filled the rim of the revolving stage, the merry-go-round came to a halt. As models filed out, each of their dressers (aka the Gucci staff) took their model's place under the spotlight, and the carousel began its circle again.

Alessandro Michele had ritual on his mind, particularly the passage that precedes a presentation: the multi-tiered stages of designing, creating, staging and viewing. His Fellini-influenced approach to this show turned the usually private domain into a public spectacle. Who knows? Maybe behind-the-scenes theatrics, and turning the spotlight on the team and the processes behind the presentation of a 60-look collection could be the harbinger of shows to come for Spring/summer 2021, and possibly more seasons into the future.