WATCH: First Gucci collection after Alessandro Michele’s departure as creative director

A new era has begun for the luxury brand

Where does Gucci go from here? This may be one of the most asked questions when Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele departed the fashion house back in November 2022. In a little short of two months, the maison presented its men’s fall 2023 collection, which may have left more people even wondering.

“This is not Gucci,” a netizen commented on Gucci’s Instagram post. “Is it Gucci or Zara?” added another.

Alessandro’s solid vintage references were nowhere in sight and this resulted in mix reviews by the fashion set. The former creative director’s thematic runway was reduced to a not-so-original presentation of clothes with a live band playing in the background. But to be fair, Gucci’s 68 pairs of twins on the runway is actually hard to top, being one of the most talked about shows last year.

Making “improvisation” as its main driving force, the house presented a mishmash of looks which had caused various evaluations. Although a little incoherent, Gucci’s latest offering has praise-worthy moments as well: Take the floor-length skirts with high slit pieces for instance, or the parade of tops with asymmetrical and plunging necklines. These pieces may be considered safe compared to some of the other labels but Gucci made them look wearable without looking over-the-top.

Yes, we have seen oversized pleated trousers before but a flesh flowy chiffon overalls paired with furry carry-all is a delight to witness. Oversized suits aren’t new to the runway but making some pieces feature detachable sleeves and pants brought back excitement.

Most shows reserve shock factor as closing looks but Gucci decided to end the presentation with a white tank, sparkly jeans, and a black beanie.