Sabato De Sarno‘s highly-anticipated debut at Gucci promised a lot, but in the end, felt like a plainly flavored meal. Proof: today in the morning, when I thought of the collection, I literally couldn’t remind myself of even one distinct look from the spring-summer 2024 line-up. It was just that… neutral. Yes, Gucci needed a restart: Alessandro Michele’s brought a lot of great things to the brand, but his last seasons were just too suffocating and tired. Still, in the end De Sarno’s radical reduction read more like a mediocre collection with touches of Prada, Old Céline, Valentino (the designer worked there before Gucci), Bottega Veneta and even Courrèges, than a clear new vision of the Italian brand. The designer wanted to create a random sequence of looks that would feel like outfits of people on Getty Images. But it was hard to spot the spontaneity of the paparazzi-caught celebs of the 2000s that De Sarno had in mind. The rumors were rumoring throughout months before the show that De Sarno would lean into the Tom Ford archives and turn out a super-sophisticated, sexy retort. Even the Daria Werbowy image suggested that. But that didn’t happen on yesterda’s runway. The collection wasn’t even Frida Gianini-coded: her Gucci had substance. Except for hoodies and denim pants, the new Gucci has in offer oddly-fitting pinafore dresses in sugary shades of pale green and peach – some trimmed with ostrich feathers, others covered in glittering Swarovski crystals – layered under boxy cropped jackets, while semi-see-through polo tops were tucked into high-waisted flares. The lingerie-influenced section was all about vinyl slips in black and scarlet trimmed with lace and dipping dangerously low on the back. Outerwear came trimmed with long tassels that oscillated as the models stormed through the space, while chunky platforms came high and sturdy, Jackie bags in bright sweetie-wrapper colors, and stilettos encrusted with layers of crystal. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. But in today’s fashion, it’s hard to go by, doing very-whatever stuff.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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