Alessandro Michele lifts the veil on the magic of Gucci

The vibe

For his AW20, Alessandro Michele did something a little different. He took the focus away from the clothes (though more on that later) and put it firmly on the Gucci crew that puts the show together.

In his show notes, he revealed: 'I decided to unveil what lies behind the curtains. May then miracle of skilled hands and holding breath come out of the shadows. May the collective intelligence that takes care of gestation be visible, as shivers rage on. May that wild and crazy hive that I made my home have a throne.'

The venue

And so, to highlight the work that goes behind each collection, we entered the venue through the backstage, seeing firsthand the models being prepped by the hair and make-up team.

At the beginning of the show, models stepped onto a revolving stage, still in their dressing gowns, where a team of stylists and couturiers awaited to dress them to Ravel's Bolero, which resulted in the magical experience that Alessandro likened to the ritual of going to the movies or the circus.

The show ended with the crew taking the places of the models and walking off the carousel to applause from the crowd.

The clothes

Gucci being Gucci, the clothes of course told a story themselves. Alessandro referenced the circus and the movies and the clothes took us on a journey, from Pilgrim-esque black dresses with white bibs paired with hats, to Marie Antoinette style ruffled dresses, cute 60s sailor dresses and 70s floral suits.

The accessories

Maximalist Gucci fans were not disappointed. In terms of hair accessories alone, there were jewelled headbands and retro headscarfs, tall Pilgrim hats and fluffy balaclavas. There were metallic ladylike gloves, oversized cross necklaces, statement handbags and sparkly shoes.

The standout piece

I've always loved a good Gucci suit, so I have to admit I fell in love with this green 70s floral number, paired as it was with fluffy socks and bejewelled Mary Janes. Extra style points for the matching tie and diamante headpiece.