The Gucci invitation for this season’s show was white and minimal setting the expectation of a supremely glamorous collection with ultra clean lines. Little did we know that color was also going to be a major theme. The show opened with an irresistible, azalea pink belted tunic over fluid trousers, pointy stilettos and a patent leather clutch. “The new pajama,” said Frida Giannini backstage. From there the palette escalated from pink to cobalt blue, citrus yellow, coral, and turquoise, creating a hyper-focused collection, worn head-to-toe with matching sunglasses, bags, and shoes.
High Glamour and Minimalism at Gucci Spring 2013
The consummate 70’s hostess is what Giannini had in mind when she created her “Aristographic” Spring 2013 collection. Think Marella Agnelli, Marisa Berenson and Gloria Vanderbilt from the 1970s in portraits taken by Richard Avedon and Gian Paolo Barbieri.
Throughout the first part of the show, models sported head-to-toe monochromatic ensembles with elaborate statement jewelry that look like the kind of baubles Elizabeth Taylor would wear. There were dramatic oversize jewels made of plastic and resin which looked like the real thing from a far. The exotic jewelry was a perfect complement to the minimal silhouettes that infused high glamour with confidence andease. There were tailored day looks with bishop, kimono or fluted sleeve, which rendered the 70’s inspired silhouettes streamlined and modern. “I wanted to create this contrast between the big sleeves and the color,” said Giannini.
After this parade of color, each more vibrant than the last, Giannini set the tone for evening by dimming the lights to introduce a different mood.The models came out flaunting black or white column dresses down to the floor with exaggerated ruffles or cutouts. Loose ruffles arched around the shoulders and down the back of a dress, upping the provocation factor on an otherwise minimal low cut gown.
The result was minimal meets and jaw dropping in bright hues with the occasional snakeskin print or the real thing covered in silk lame. “Aristographic,” read the show notes, and it genuinely sums up Frida Giannini’s spring collection for Gucci.
