Milan Men's Fashion Week: Gucci acknowledges androgyny as women join menswear runway

Gucci unveiled the latest phase of its full body make-over today with a menswear show which saw creative director Alessandro Michele decamp to a new venue.

Bypassing the house’s traditional spot – a carpeted auditorium in Milan’s Piazza Oberdan – in favour of a derelict train station north of the city, the designer – currently enjoying his first year in the top job – reminded those at menswear week that the gilded Gucci days were a thing of the past. Or at least, that they could be.

To this end, high voltage glamour gave way to something softer and more romantic. Michelle’s man, a developed version of the muse he unveiled during his debut in January, was an emotionally charged being who had much in common with today’s contemporary culture. It’s a move that is likely to delight Gucci bosses who are looking to Michele to attract a more youthful customer to the brand that struggled with an identity crisis in recent years.

The mood, decidedly nostalgic, saw Gucci continue its love affair with the 1970s. Notably with a flared trouser style and a series of belted suede jackets which gave this show its foundation.

Crochet shirts and a hefty helping of floral prints served to further emphasise the idea that this was collection which harked back to another time while the inclusion of oversized collars and a wayward colour palette served to remind seasoned Gucci customers that a new era of awkward elegance lay ahead.

Pushing things forward is central to Michele’s plans and today this manifested through the notion of androgyny. Enlisting women to model a selection of the menswear looks in this show, the designer toyed with the conventional perceptions of gender. An increasingly astute businessman, he also chose the occasion to debut the brand’s latest womenswear offering.

Michele who is a former protégé of ex-creative director Frida Gianinni, may be an innovator but his determination to push a new ideal is not without an element of caution.

“I don’t want be a prisoner of the brand” he said after the show, “I wanted to incorporate aspects of the old into the show but give them new meaning.” Indeed, he appropriated aspects of Gucci’s heritage into his new collection giving them a new lease of life. Notably with the classic Gucci “G” which was reinterpreted on bags and belts. Only time will tell if the Gucci customer believes in the transformation.