Gucci‘s resort 2024 might officially own the title of “the most bizarre collection of the year”. It’s gimmick-ness, randomness and out-of-place-ness is sort of criminal… The no-designer period is a hard moment for the Italian brand, that’s for sure. The aesthetic echoes of Alessandro Michele can still be perceived, but there’s no method to all that madness. I think Sabato De Sarno won’t have an easy task with his debut.

Gucci is the latest house to stage a premiere event in Seoul. By now, the West understands the importance of this market, which holds a global influence. But it is no longer enough to simply show up and believe the sales will follow. Indeed, the idea of a show at Gyeongbokgung, the former royal palace where the Gucci show unfolded, induced more than one raised eyebrow among locals. Any Korean has been a hundred times over on field trips, escorting overseas guests, to see the cherry blossoms bloom, and it is the de facto destination for all foreigners shooting music videos, ad campaigns, and short films. The front row was filled with celebrities, both international (Dakota Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Saoirse Ronan) and domestic (NewJeans’s Hanni, IU, Lee Jung-jae). So what did Gucci see of Seoul? Model Sora Choi opened the show in a long black padded coat over jeans, clutching a fetching baguette-shaped bag that appeared again and again (kitted out in crystals, quilted in holographic lilac). There was a blend of bourgeois streetwear and sportswear, such as the bouclé bike shorts with the ladies-who-lunch jacket, cropped to flash the midriff, as well as a standout pale pink chiffon dress with tiered ruffles that fluttered down the runway, which was worn over a black scuba suit. Neoprene was seen as layered turtlenecks that zipped up to the chin, and paired with tweed midi skirts embellished with diamanté crystals racing up the sides. The referential mix of Tom Ford-era at Gucci nods was another move, although very forced. A sateen lilac coat worn by Karen Elson that closed with a red bow resembling the one which closes a traditional jeogori jacket was an elegant take on Korean heritage, as were the surrealist illustrations of pink jello and cat’s paws by local artist Ram Han. These were the finest highlights of this very unfocused collection.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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