Macaulay Culkin and Phoebe Bridgers Stole Gucci’s Love Parade Show
Watching his latest Gucci designs swish past the stars on Hollywood Boulevard was “a dream come true; a huge, great, immense feeling” for Alessandro Michele. From the glittering guest list and the surprise casting, to the fashion that was made for the big screen, here’s everything you need to know about the Gucci Love Parade show.
Taylor Hill1/141. It was a Hollywood extravaganza
The invite – “Meet me on Hollywood Boulevard” – came sealed with a kiss and a fire engine-red lipstick encased in an ornate gold cylinder. How fabulous, we thought. But even that flirty memo from Alessandro Michele himself could not fully prepare us for the major scenes that unfolded at the California Spring/Summer 2022 show. Lights, camera, action! Gucci goes showbiz – in all its sexy, gritty glory.
Taylor Hill2/142. The guest list was pure TinselTown
Gucci ambassadors Dakota Johnson and Sienna Miller, plus Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, and Tracee Ellis Ross, all turned out to support Alessandro, but it was, surprisingly perhaps, Gwyneth Paltrow who truly delivered the offbeat kind of glamour Gucci does so well. Wearing the reprised version of the red velvet Tom Ford for Gucci suit, which Michele says made her famous, the professional Gooper proved that good fashion never dates. Also dialing up the nostalgia? Macaulay Culkin. Yes, you read that correctly. His brother Kieran might be currently riding the fame wave courtesy of Succession, but the Home Alone hero is finding a new lease of life as a Gucci model. File this one under: “Fashion moments we never saw coming.”
Frazer Harrison3/143. In the Gucciverse, Hollywood is a Greek temple
How would Gucci follow its instantly cult Hacker project, which saw Michele quote from Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga school of design? No problem, when your pool of inspirations flows freely with rich mythological, historical, and Hollywood fables, like Alessandro’s does. “This boulevard of stars lends perfect support to my uncurbed love for the classical world,” said Michele in his letter to the press. “Hollywood is, after all, a Greek temple populated by pagan divinities.”
As Björk tracks, such as “All is Full of Love” and “Big Time Sensuality”, blared from the speakers, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jared Leto, Steve Lacy, St Vincent, Miranda July, Phoebe Bridgers, and Janaya Khan joined a score of models showing off Gucci’s new hyper Hollywood collection: all sugary satin prom suits and high-drama glittering gowns exploding with feathers. The props – sorry, accessories – were magnificent. Cowboy hats, ornate headpieces, crystal speckled sunglasses, starry tights, and vinyl gloves vied for attention in a more-is-more collection that once again affirmed Alessandro as the king of maximalism.
Taylor Hill4/144. There was a sexy undercurrent of sheer fabulousness
Perhaps only in the Gucciverse does a sex toy necklace find a home next to hyper-luxe velvet bow ties, flapper-style hats, and logoed leggings. Of course, that’s the beauty of Gucci – and, indeed, Hollywood where anything is possible. It was during Michele’s childhood that he began to dream of Los Angeles and those “nine letters dripping with desire”. His mother, who worked as an assistant in a production company, told him all “the details and the sparkles” of the dream factory: “the alabaster paleness of Marilyn Monroe and her diaphanous voice; the black satin gloves of Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake’s velvet hair… Everything felt like a fairy tale.” Gucci’s new parade of magic just earned its own place in L.A. lore.
Taylor Hill5/145. There was lots for Gaga to go gaga over
Fittingly for a showcase in the heart of Hollywood, there were plenty of red-carpet confections for the audience to dream about twirling in front of the paparazzi in. They will, of course, have to elbow Lady Gaga out of the way first; the Oscar-winning starlet and current Vogue cover girl is about to go on the House of Gucci press tour and drop a serious amount of Gucci in the process. Our bets are on the pearlescent pink gown lined with a bulbous pink tulle trim. You?
Check out more images from the show below:
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Taylor Hill14/14This story originally appeared in British Vogue.
