Fashion Friday Designer Deep Dive: Gucci

Alessandro michele’s debut fall 2015 runway show; milan. Photo credit: wwd

“Gucci. It was a name that sounded so sweet, so seductive. Synonymous with wealth, style, power.” I saw House of Gucci with Freddy and my mom last weekend and it was incredible! I loved getting swept up in the fascinating and complex history of the Gucci family that Adam Driver and Lady Gaga so beautifully portrayed; it inspired me to continue doing some more research on my own. Up until watching the movie, I never knew the full story of the iconic Gucci fashion house (which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year!), but I have known of Gucci as a designer ever since I was in middle school.

When I was maybe 13 years old I distinctly remember going to a handbag party with my mom at her friend’s house where replica designer bags were being sold. I remember walking in and seeing tons of “designer” bags displayed everywhere. I was so excited seeing all of these handbags and I don’t think I quite grasped the fact that they were all knockoffs. All I saw were designer labels and I immediately felt like I was part of an in crowd. It didn’t matter to me at the time that they weren’t real, I just felt cool being able to hold and try on Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton bags! My mom bought me a black, quilted Chanel tote with a white CC logo and matching wallet. She also bought me a brown Gucci canvas GG tote bag with woven brown leather straps and a zipper top. I still vividly remember that bag - I wore it all the time and I absolutely loved it! It makes me feel a bit strange that my first introduction to this legendary designer was through a knockoff bag, but looking back, it opened my eyes to the designer world even if it wasn’t in an authentic way. There’s a scene in the movie that actually touches on this topic which I found really interesting! I don’t plan on purchasing a faux designer bag now, but I understand that not everyone can afford to purchase the real thing. Heck, I don’t even own a designer bag! They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but I’m not so sure I agree with that statement. After working in the designer apparel and handbags departments at Nordstrom, I’ve seen my fair share of knockoffs and it actually really upsets me when I see other brands or people knocking off designs that luxury fashion houses pour their heart and soul into creating. Before I get carried away on this topic, let’s start off with how Gucci began.

The label was first founded by Guccio Gucci (what a name!) in 1921. As the story goes, Guccio got the idea to create his own company after working as a bellhop at London’s prestigious Savoy Hotel. He was inspired by all of the aristocrats who were carrying their high-end suitcases, so he wanted to create his own line of luxury travel goods. (Fun fact: the Savoy Hotel recently partnered with Gucci to celebrate their shared history by redesigning their Royal Suite with furniture and decor in true Gucci style. The result is exquisite!) Guccio wanted to associate his brand with pastimes that these aristocrats might enjoy, such as horse-riding, and so the signature horsebit design was born! It is still just as iconic today as it was back then. The first Gucci store opened in Florence that same year.

A decade later, Gucci introduced handbags and accessories into their product mix, but in 1935, they ran into some problems. Due to the League of Nations Embargo against Italy, leather was in short supply, so Gucci had to get creative with their products. Since leather wasn’t easily accessible, they were forced to use other materials for their handbag designs, so they created a specially woven hemp fabric and printed their now-famous interlocking diamond logo on top. Once leather production picked up again after World War II, Aldo Gucci (son of Guccio) created the brand’s first pigskin bag. The first bamboo-handle bag was also thought to be created around this same time. By the early 1950’s, Gucci’s signature red and green stripe emblem could be seen on many of their designs. It’s amazing to know that so many of these classic attributes of the fashion house are still in production today!

Jackie Kennedy wearing the now famous ‘jackie’ bag in 1968. Photo Credit: WWD

Celebrities at the time definitely played a role in giving Gucci some press. When Jackie Kennedy was seen carrying one of their bags in 1961, the house renamed it ‘The Jackie’. When Grace Kelly bought a bamboo-handle bag a few years after that, Rodolfo Gucci (son of Guccio) gifted her a floral scarf made especially for her. This print became known as the ‘Flora’ print and has been used in more recent collections by current creative director Alessandro Michele. By the late 1960’s Gucci debuted their first clothing collection at the opening of their Beverly Hills boutique on Rodeo Drive. Gucci had now expanded it’s retail stores globally across the U.S., Europe, and Asia and was continuing to gain popularity, but some family drama that ensued in the 80’s brought a lot of tension to the house. That drama basically all started with Patrizia Reggiani.

Maurizio and Patrizia Gucci, 1972.

Maurizio Gucci, grandson of Guccio and son of Rodolfo, married Patrizia in 1972, just 2 years after they met at a party in 1970. Patrizia grew up not having much, and Maurizio’s father didn’t approve of their union initially as he felt she was a social climber and was only after their money. Needless to say, his intuition was right. In the early 80’s, Guccio’s grandsons were running the company, including Maurizio. He inherited his father’s majority stake in the company when he passed away, and with Patrizia’s persuasion, pushed his cousin and uncle out of the picture and took full control of the brand. It was evident that Patrizia wanted to do whatever it took to acquire more and more money. This business move added additional strain on their marriage and took Maurizio’s focus away from Patrizia. In 1985, he left for a quick business trip and never came home. He sent a personal confidant to inform Patrizia that their marriage was over. Patrizia was incredibly reluctant to accept this news and wouldn’t divorce Maurizio until 1994. Reports claim that she was more devastated to lose her Gucci name than to lose her husband. One year later, her master plans of hiring a hitman to gun down Maurizio came to fruition. Talk about drama and scandal! Even during her trial she still requested to be called Patrizia Gucci. After she had served half of her jail sentence, she was offered to be released early but she replied with, “No thanks as it would mean getting a job and I have never worked a day in my life."

Kate moss modeling a look from gucci’s spring 1996 runway show. photo credit: wwd

Just one year prior to Maurizio’s death, he sold the rest of his shares to investment group, Investcorp, giving them full control of the company. Right around this time, Tom Ford became the house’s creative director after the wild success of his debut ready-to-wear runway collection in 1990. He is known for completely revitalizing the brand and boosting it’s sales immensely. Tom Ford’s designs were sensual and flashy - he took the brand into uncharted territory and celebrities like Madonna and Jennifer Lopez were photographed wearing his pieces on the red carpet. To describe Tom Ford’s Gucci reign as successful is a huge understatement!

Fast forward to today and creative director, Alessandro Michele, is continuing to reinvent the House of Gucci with his avantgarde designs just as he did when he was first appointed in 2014. I’ll admit that some of Gucci’s designs are a bit “out there” for me, but I love that the classic heritage pieces of the house are still in production today, like the decorative horsebit detail and the Jackie bag. Investing in designer pieces is something I don’t take lightly, because I don’t have all the money in the world to spend willy nilly 😉 and I want to make sure it’s something I’ll be able to wear for years to come. I love taking time and consideration into which pieces I want to add to my wardrobe. Over the years I’ve had my eye on a classic Gucci belt, the Horsebit shoulder bag, and this sparkly pair of heels! When I managed the women’s designer apparel department at Nordstrom, we received a traveling collection of Gucci’s ready-to-wear collection and I had the most fun trying on all of the samples! It was a dream to play dress up with some of the most gorgeous dresses and blouses in exquisite fabrics. It definitely made me dream of owning a timeless coat one day!

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading this post! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it :) I recently re-watched The Devil Wears Prada for the 200th time and there’s a line that stood out to me this time around that I hadn’t paid attention to before. Stanley Tucci’s character said, “Don't you know that you are working at the place that published some of the greatest artists of the century? Halston, Lagerfeld, de la Renta. And what they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it.” To me, that last line captures the essence of why I love fashion so much. Not only is it art that these creators pour their heart and souls into, but it’s much more than that, because we live our lives in it. I was so inspired by the House of Gucci movie and doing more research on the designer that I decided to make it a regular thing! On the first Friday of every month, I’m going to do a deep dive on a new designer 😍 Who should I research next? Let me know in the comments! xo