We watched in awe as Alesand ro Michele led the Italian fashion house back into the spotlight it so rightly deserves

by Sarah de Brun

Just 120 hours. This is how long newly-appointed Creative Director of Gucci, Alessandro Michele, was granted in January of this year to disassemble and rework the house’s entire menswear collection for fall/winter. At Milan Fashion Week, all eyes anticipated the results of a treacherous few days that lead up to this moment. 120 hours, 36 looks, and one runway show later, and Gucci’s future had been redirected.

Prior to the show, two major exits caused a commotion for the 94-year-old fashion icon. In late December of 2014, Chief Executive Patrizio di Marco was relieved of his duties and Creative Director Frida Giannini made her departure as well. Chatter regarding who would take over morphed by the minute, and when Gucci’s longtime accessory designer was handed the title of creative director, mixed emotions arose.

Who was Alessandro Michele, and why was he in charge?

For 12 years Michele worked alongside Giannini, three of those years as her associate director—more than enough time to take note of what’s working and not…to soak in the mistakes and thread-in some solutions.

That said, when one bigwig leaves, it’s not always smart to go with the obvious choice. There are moments when a good shaking helps all the pieces to fall into place. Decades ago, when Gucci faced bankruptcy, they turned to Tom Ford for help, for example. His sexy ’70s-glam was timed right, was wildly fresh, and righted a sinking ship.

One of Michele’s ideas was to direct the brand back to the decade of disco and decadence. Through him, color is now abundant, and spontaneous prints bring the simplest of silhouettes to life. There is quirk and confidence, personality and charm (shaggy fur-lined slippers are generating the most excitement. Who would have ever imagined?)…plus pleats, piping, and pompoms.

The on-the-street and critical buzz has been largely positive, and even Anna Wintour has given her stamp of approval. There is now a cool factor to Gucci, at a time when this timeless brand had threatened to fade into dull predictability.

As the year comes to a close, and a handful of collections have grazed the runways, Guccio Gucci’s Florence-founded church of style is being labeled influential all over again. Both men’s and women’s shows feature models of the opposite sex. Maybe it’s because of Michele’s inherent inclinations or just a sign of our gender-bending time, but we love the resulting unpredictability.

For Resort 2016, Michele created a retro collection that performed as a slightly moodier sequel to fall’s story line. While the color palette remains bold, hues are slightly muddier. Strong chevron prints were on hand, as was jewel-toned lace, furs, and double-breasted suits. These pieces were everything The Royal Tenenbaums’s Margot (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) dreams of, if she ever moved out on her own and started taking herself more seriously (if that’s possible). Little does Michele know that many a fashion girl’s dream is to dress just like Margot. He hit a nerve, and a good one.

And that, my friends, is how Gucci has launched itself back into the game.