Gucci: Brilliantly Baggy Gucci
Written by: Godfrey Deeny
Photos by: Gruber & Marco Lussoso - FWD
Milan, Oct 3, 2001/ FWD/ --- Tom Ford just scored himself another big hit.
After a brilliant, fresh, inventive and audacious Gucci show, Ford earned a noisy blast of applause when he
took his bow Friday post-show in Milan. His spring-summer 2002 collection was so good, women could be seen
crying at the end.
From the get-go, his silhouette was new. He opened with a slew of long, super-baggy pants first in crushed
cotton then in soft suede. The trousers were wide enough for any rapper, but in Ford’s hands they hung beautifully.
Ford paired his new pants with slinky knit sweaters or soft, almost tattered wrapped tops, and mini jackets
made of cotton so distressed it seemed like parachute fabric. Then came a group of brilliant, slightly bulky
coats mostly in rough-hewn suede with snaps worthy of a straightjacket that were thoroughly modern and instant
must-haves.
The models strutted their stuff in stilettos with metallic spike heels, and naughty S & M buckles and straps.
But though the footwear was a mite perverse, the mood throughout was upbeat, as Peter Frampton crooned out
"Baby I Love Your Way."
Ford also whipped up a killer new Pony Express-style tote in coffee-colored suede that will be a major hit.
The collection carried some echoes of last season with diagonal zips, but he broke more new ground with rumpled
cotton suits that eschewed buttons for multiple hooks and eyes.
Ford also reclaimed a few ideas from men’s underwear, even going so far as to send one model out in a
granddaddy’s cotton boiler suit, and another in bulky cotton bloomers. But once again the cut was so good,
they looked great.
About the only criticism one could make was that the show was a little repetitive, especially at the end
when he sent out more baggy pants. But the collection also contained a bunch of standout looks that stylists
will fight over for future shoots, like satin pants and dresses with heart or leaf shaped cutouts.
Ford’s finale of two diaphanous silk plisse gowns first in black then in white, under which one glimpsed
leather bustiers, was perfect.
"Things need to keep changing. That’s what I tried to do," Ford told FWD backstage, as an avalanche of
editors lined up to shower him with praise. Gucci president Domenico de Sole may have announced this week that
the Gucci Group has revised its 2001 sales figures down as the recession grips. But after this collection,
the only way Gucci is going, is up.
Gucci by Tom Ford
Gucci by Tom Ford
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