Gucci closes Milan Fashion Week with a chilling display

Milan Fashion Week closed on Sunday with two memorable runway shows from Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. The latter brought the week's festivities to an end by inviting its guests into an enigmatic and aseptic laboratory, where its creative director, Alessandro Michele, sought to provide a fashionable antidote to societal norms. 

The space was bathed in red light before the show, making it hard for attendees to find their seats and impossible for them to take photos with their phones, which had become frustratingly useless. 

But then the room was suddenly illuminated by a clinical white light, revealing the first looks from the brand, worn by motionless models who moved through the space on travelators.

60 white looks, evoking straitjackets with their straps and belts, symbolised fashion as a way of restricting people and negating self-expression.

Then the room was plunged into darkness, sending a wave of unease shuddering through the crowd. When the lights came up again, they revealed models wearing Gucci's new collection for Spring/Summer 2020, walking in the opposite direction to the all-white procession that preceded them. 

There were 70s_inspired looks for both men and women: suits featured flared trousers and wide-collared jackets, while long monochrome dresses were worn with large square glasses attached to thick chains.

Other looks paired workwear-inspired silhouettes with accessories borrowed from the world of S&M, such as riding crops and whips. As always, Michele's show created an expressive space where anything was possible, where fashion became an instrument of resistance. 

The event's guests included Lou Doillon, Sienna Miller, Jared Leto and Iggy Pop.