Fashion’s game of creative director switcheroo is more nutso right now than ever before, as the likes of Kim Jones dip out of Dior, Hedi Slimane heads off from Celine, and rumours surrounding Daniel Lee’s departure from Burberry and Jonathan Anderson leaving Loewe continue to swirl up and down the timeline and chatter through fashion week’s front rows. One thing that is certain, though, is that Sabato De Sarno’s time at Gucci is over, with the designer calling it quits with immediate effect just a few weeks ago. Still, the Italian house stuck to the schedule and staged its new-season show in Milan mere hours ago, as the city kicked off the next stage of the AW25 circus. Ticket lost in the mail? Here’s everything you need to know.

IS THE ERA OF ANCORA RED ALREADY OVER?

De Sarno’s time at the house was marked by the introduction of a deep red hue dubbed ‘Ancora’, but as Kering bids the designer bye-bye, seems like his signature palette – seen throughout collections, across invites and shiny paper carrier bags, and within plenty of show destinations – is also heading out of the window. The first hint was the fact this season’s invite was a deep shade of Gucci green, which was solidified when guests landed in the venue – the space’s seating and thick bouncy carpets all came in the same hue, with the catwalk running through a gleaming lacquered version of the same hue.

THE DESIGN TEAM TOOK OVER

With De Sarno out of the picture, it was up to the design team to take over in the interim while a new creative director is appointed. It’s not the first time this has happened – for AW23 the collection was also put in the hands of the collective studio as Gucci transitioned away from Alessandro Michele’s wildly eclectic era.

THE COLLECTION TRANSCENDED TIME

The show was split down the middle into two halves – the first fully made up of womenswear, the second showcasing the menswear offering. First out of the gate was a demure look reminiscent of Wes Anderson girlie Margot Temembaum, all faux fur coats, fun-coloured stockings, and a severe side-part. Little Edie could have just as easily been a reference point, though, with more models making their way around the circular runway in slightly dishevelled little wool cardi-and-cami sets, sequinned pencil skirts, and Babushka-style scarves. The palette was kind of giving Scooby Doo and shouldn’t have really worked but actually really did – lime greens clashed against putrid purples and rusty orange, as well as pale pinks, reds, and sherbet lemon. On the slinkier side of things came glittery catsuits and halter-necks with plunging necklines that were nipped at the waist with giant Gucci Horsebit belts.

SUIT UP!

Just like at Burberry last night, lots of the men’s looks comprised neat tailored suits. In sugared almond shades of green and pink, Gucci’s proportion would probably take a brave guy to pull off – for those less inclined, there were also a series of great wipe-clean vinyl car coats and sweater-vest and shirt combos run through with subtle metallic thread.

Scroll through the gallery above for the entire AW25 collection