The Gucci Cruise 2018 collection revisits and recycles classic and iconoclastic fashion moments in history and tweaks them with new, stylistic mixes and silhouette combos deeply rooted in the 1970s.
“The ’70s is the most powerful image, for me, for the brand,” stated Michele. “The brand has a soul—and its soul is really that kind of ’70s moment.”
“Retro” look from the Gucci Cruise 2018 collection
Design parallels as far back as the renaissance and as late as the 1980s are re-interpreted and integrated into the Gucci style code.
The best pieces in the collection are revivals of the most documented in design we never thought could exist again in modern fashion. Other iconic pieces from the collection are full scale, taster’s choice knockoffs synonymous with youth, rebellion and originality.
Below take a look at those key moments that made the Gucci Cruise 2018 collection one of their best yet.
Besides being the founding city of the Gucci fashion house (1921), Florence was a welcoming city for artists of the Renaissance era to show intellect and imagination beyond limitations of decoration or religious tribute.
The Puffer Sleeve
A look from the Gucci Cruise 2018 collection. Photo: Dan Lecca/Gucci
This incredible jacket is a throwback to Dapper Dan of Harlem who created a custom jacket (below) for Olympic medalist Diane Dixon made from fur and puffy sleeves adorned in a Louis Vuitton logo motif.
It didn’t take long for this look to start trending.
#Squads are a throwback more likely to be heard in hip-hop lyrics than in fashion affiliations but Gucci squads were popping up all over social media after the show.
Alessandro Michele brilliantly brought back the Gucci Fanny pack. The normcore design was pulled straight out of Gucci’s 1980s archives in style, look, and function.
Fanny pack worn in the Gucci Cruise 2018 collection
The GG Marmont Bag
Michele re-embraced the Gucci logo, resurrecting the neglected double G motif of Gucci’s 1980s heyday. The iconic bag gets re-interpreted for a modern audience.
Michele’s ornate, lightweight headbands and face-framing milliner hats were a wink towards 16th century Venetian headwear, from the simple garlands of turn-of-the-century maidens to the “wonderful bulbous balzo” of the matrons of the Venetian provinces in 1530.
Imagine a beauty mashup of Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot and Jane Fonda in the early sixties through the seventies, but BIGGER! Beauty vloggers, get started.
This simple accessory is a beloved throwback to Carrie Bradshaw who changed the game of fashion forever! The Sex & The City character icon made tutus work in Times Square, she put Manolo Blahnik on the map and she wore huge flower pins for no reason. And now so will we.
Look from the Gucci Cruise 2018 collection | Courtesy photoCarrie Bradshaw in a still from Sex and the City
Nichelle Cole is the founder & editor-in-chief of The Fashion Plate magazine. A respected writer, stylist and influencer, she has been published in fashion magazines around the world.
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