The new era of Gucci is here.
At its runway show at Milan Fashion Week, the behemoth Italian fashion brand unveiled its spring ’24 collection, the official debut from newly minted creative director Sabato De Sarno.
There was a lot of red. Ahead of the Friday afternoon show, the designer had hinted at the unveiling of a new color palette and what he wanted to bring to the new Gucci. “Red is actually everywhere at Gucci,” De Sarno told WWD earlier in the week. “The very first Jackie bag was black with a red lining. I went to the Savoy Hotel, where Guccio Gucci worked [as a young man before founding his company] and the elevator, inside, is red.”
On the runway, it was indeed everywhere. On patent leather blazers and matching pencil skirts with high thigh slits. On fringed skirts and leather hot pants. On the lips of the models, in a glossy matching dark crimson.
It was especially apparent on the footwear, which in no way receded from the spotlight. There were plenty of slingback pumps, with elongated toe boxes, sharp points and gold chain link strap hardware (“Gucci” spelled out in a retro font inside of it), done in a patent as slick as those glossed lips.
There were also heavy platforms, done in a flatform style on a series of Gucci’s traditional Horsebit loafer. They came in the new Gucci red but also in the brand’s classic tan monogram canvas, as well as the its signature green-and-red stripe (which the brand still calls a “web”, referring to a belt that is worn under a horse’s belly with saddlery — Gucci started out in equestrian gear, after all).
It’s no surprise that a big platform is making its mark on the new Gucci collection, even if the silhouette isn’t showing up as a trend elsewhere in spring ’24 lineups. De Sarno’s last role was at Valentino, where he worked as fashion director for men’s and women’s ready-to-wear. As of late, the footwear at Valentino has been big, bold, platformed; a heavy punctuation mark on all of those sharp but couture-level intricate garments from the brand, helping the looks to stand out and up even more on the runway. De Sarno might be bringing the same footwear philosophy to Gucci now.
Valentino has also pushed the color iconography as of late, with creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli debuting the brand’s “Pierpaolo Pink” a year and change ahead of this summer’s Barbiemania — what timing and meaning. De Sarno is bringing a similar understanding of the power of color to his new vision of Gucci. And there’s no more powerful color than red.
About the author:
Shannon Adducci is the Style Director at FN, reporting on runway and fashion weeks, trends, celebrity style and fashion’s role in pop culture, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, gender identity and women’s equity issues. She also directs FN’s cover shoots and visual packages, contributing to the publication’s video direction. Prior to Footwear News, Shannon held positions at Departures, Billboard and Modern Luxury, was a celebrity stylist and specialized in fine and estate jewelry. She is an avid collector of vintage fashion, shoes and jewelry.
