Gucci Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear: Sabato De Sarno Has Got This
Sabato De Sarno has got this.
With his fall 2024 women’s collection at Milan Fashion Week, the designer proved the second time is a charm.
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With gorgeously executed contemporary tailoring and outerwear, eye-popping colors, sexy lingerie looks and covetable riding boots and heeled loafers, the spectacular collection showed the way forward for Gucci as it works to recover its luxury market share.
There were legs, legs everywhere at Friday’s show in a damp warehouse space on the outskirts of Milan, with most of the VIPs wearing the super-short skirts and HotPants that set the tone for De Sarno’s newer, younger Gucci last season. Absurd on a winter day, sure, but this is what the kids wear, and it drew a line from then to now, even if it didn’t win over all the critics.
For fall, the leggy looks were still there — a charcoal wool crepe shorts onesie managed to look sporty elegant with over-the-knee red riding boots. But they didn’t detract from the main collection messages of precision-cut tailoring and outerwear with better fabrications and more obvious craft in the clothes. This time, De Sarno included longer skirts and dresses, but no pants! They will be sold in stores, however, he said, to go with matching jackets.
It would be a challenge not to find a coat to love in this collection, which included a camel duffel style that projected luxe ease over a pink button-down shirt and boxer shorts, a navy double-breasted uovo shape dripping with dégradé sequins, a sturdy sunshine yellow peacoat, and an Ancora red snake car coat among the standouts.
De Sarno is establishing quite a color game as one of his signatures (something he may have picked up at his last gig at Valentino). Besides covering billboards worldwide, and taking over Gucci stores on the latest spring shoes and bags out now, the debut collection’s deep Ancora red has been influencing other designers’ collections, too, and carried over into this one. (A note: they need an Ancora nail polish, stat.)
One has to wonder if he can now work his magic with the acid green that was also a through line to fall, as seen on a lush velvet slipdress with matching green half-moon bag. Taylor Swift already wore a Gucci green sequin dress at the Golden Globes, and Jessica Chastain a highlighter green shade Gucci gown to the Emmys. Dopamine dressing could be just the thing for these dark times.
There were lots of other trendsetting color contenders here, too, including a baby blue seen on an embossed GG leather peacoat.
In a season full of slipdresses, Gucci’s were a cut above in their construction and finishing; one in black with intarsia velvet flowers down the front was particularly chic, with lacy GG high-waist panties peeking out from underneath. (Bringing that level of polish to Gucci’s red carpet looks should be a priority.)
For those wishing to cover up a bit more, sculpted wool bustier dresses were a cool option, perhaps with a jacket shoulder-robed over top.
Although the designer told WWD he prefers simpler clothes, he did up the embellishment factor this season, proving that good design often involves compromise. For print lovers, there were geometric jacquards that if you looked closely enough you could see they were repeating heron birds. Knitwear was also elevated, with De Sarno’s twin sets (shorts and a cardigan) over-embroidered with sequins.
It will be a test to see if this collection can sell to top spenders craving uber luxury, which is Kering’s financial turnaround strategy, while influencing the fashion choices in the everywoman’s closet. That’s what the best do. De Sarno is off to a running start.
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Launch Gallery: Gucci Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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