Demna Stages a Times Square Takeover for Gucci Cruise 2027
Last night, Demna took his vision for the next chapter of Gucci straight to the white-hot center of American consumerism: Times Square. The fashion house shut down the Midtown plaza on May 16, splashing advertisements for real and imagined Gucci products across 50-some skyscraper-climbing screens before sending an assortment of very New York character-models down the runway. If we needed any reminder of just how major and how culture-interwoven the house of Gucci is, the move left few questions.
Rather than give us clothes for a seaside holiday or cocktails in Capri, Demna zeroed in on everyday staples, presenting archetypical pieces like the classic peacoat and the pencil skirt in his own Gucci language. “I wanted to show this collection on the kind of people you might pass on the street, individuals with their own way of wearing clothes, a plurality of styles that intersect like the streets of the city,” said the designer. “Most of what you’ll see in this show is part of GucciCore, a permanent collection that will evolve over time, shaping my vision by building the foundation of a Gucci wardrobe grounded in pragmatic, wearable pieces that are unmistakably Gucci.”
The collection was his (self-admittedly) most commercial, flush with highly wearable city-life garments aimed largely at the overworked or the ladies who lunch among us. Athena Calderone walked in faded dark denim, croc-embossed boots, and a navy blazer; Salon 94’s Jeanne Greenberg sauntered in a floral, handpainted white leather coat; and indie film legend Sophia Lamar stomped in a high-slit black dress and the type of (faux) fur coat our grandmothers pass down. Tom Brady was practically beaming as he made his way through the square in a very ’80s-cut, double leather ensemble. Ladylike frocks—in printed yellow on a brunette Paris Hilton and a shimmering leopard print number with a bow at the neckline—felt like new incarnations of the Gucci we know from an earlier era. The Web stripe became a bandeau top styled on men; ultra-baggy jeans and some very desirable oversize faux-fur coats dominated, along with tailored officewear. Mariacarla Boscono walked down the street in a feathered, asymmetric evening dress, cut all the way up the thigh for dramatic effect. Cindy Crawford closed the show in a feather plume gown.
It wouldn’t be a Demna collection without a layer of irony or some rather dystopian metacommentary. Imaginary products sold on the many towering screens included “Gucci Time” and “Gucci Life.” So are we living Gucci lives? Many will certainly be inhabiting Demna’s GucciCore garments the second his pieces drop.
