In Milan, Frida Giannini’s vision of the Gucci gent, nimble, young and faintly disaffected, tapped into the omnipresent Anglophile spirit that continues to make London buzz as it becomes ever more international each day. Exploiting a swinging sixties vibe, perennially ripe for the picking, the collection fostered a sleek mod aesthetic which revelled in slim, intensely tailored forms, with suits opting for diminutive lapels and relying upon that age-old staple, the turtle-neck, which materialized a simmering placid severity.
Revolutionising the hues of the mod manifesto, Giannini married classically sombre menswear tones with musky inclusions of powdery plums, muted pastel pinks and glaucous greys that worked in unison with the cooling periwinkle, topped off by the uniformed lure of baker-boy caps, wonderfully reminiscent of yester-year.
Next to this, scatterings of rust set off the onyx shades which predominated as the show ran its course, with lashings of immaculate, understated leather, given a Quadrophenia-esque edge with specific touches alluding to a subtle biker-boy essence, set against an almost militant trench aesthetic.
While undertones of a dark, distantly stormy angst dwelled, Giannini, well on her way to becoming established as a Gucci powerhouse, instilled AW14 with a distinctly streetwise, bitter-sweet anticipation for jollity, exhibited wholly by the mildly scoundrel-esque male embodiment of the Italian brand, emerging from the enticing nocturnal setting like beacons of youthful zeal.
Watch the show here.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com