Stripped-back sexiness was at the heart of Gucci’s SS20 Orgasmique show

We’re three weeks in and three cities down when it comes to the SS20 shows, with the (metaphorical) curtain falling on Milan yesterday, as Alessandro Michele debuted what he’d been working on for the last few months at Gucci. Here’s everything you need to know.

THE FRONT ROW LINE-UP WAS MAJOR

But then this was a Gucci show, so what else were you expecting? Model and actress Hari Nef, former collaborator and iconic designer Dapper Dan, and legendary Gummo director Harmony Korine sat alongside Lou Doillon, A$AP Rocky, and Iggy Pop. Making up the ranks was Jared Leto, who basically turned up cosplaying as Alessandro Michele in an all-pink-everything look.

THE SET WAS PRETTY STRIPPED BACK THIS SEASON 

Guests made their way into a stark white space filled with white plastic waiting room-style chairs. At the centre of the room, in place of a more conventional runway, was a conveyor belt. As the show started, models standing on the moving walkway were paraded in front of the audience in a series of beige and white straitjacket-esque looks, which, according to Michele were emblematic of societal restrictions and oppression surrounding personal expression. Soon after, it was business as usual, as the all-white looks ended and things got a whole lot more Gucci.

...AND SO WAS THE COLLECTION

...or at least as stripped back as a Gucci collection is likely going to get. Refined 70s-inspired suits made up of cropped, boxy jackets and wide-legged trousers in shades of sherbet yellow, blue, and green were seen alongside shell-printed silk pyjamas with kimono sleeves, while slinky dresses were devoid of the piles and piles of accessories that usually make up the Gucci aesthetic. FYI, according to Michele the trend for tiny sunglasses is also all but over, with shades strung from chunky acrylic chains reaching gargantuan proportions for SS20.

GUCCI GOT SEXY FOR SS20

While Michele’s vision of Gucci is more eclectic than where Tom Ford took the label back in the late 90s, over the course of the last few seasons the Italian designer has injected a little more sex into his collections. While AW19 was punctuated by subversive, studded masks and thick leather collars, this time around models wearing lingerie-inspired pieces carried luxe cat o’ nine tails and riding crops, as part of a nod to the house’s heritage. Also on the line-up were bicep-length, blood-red, wipe-clean vinyl gloves and bowling bags emblazoned with the collection’s name: Orgasmique.