Gucci A/W 2020 Milan Fashion Week Men's

Scene setting: The models circled a black pit of smoke; a giant pendulum swayed through the space, splicing a line through a puddle of charcoal sand. The line was drawn to shamanic sounds and the beeping of beetles at night. The mood was deep and dark; guests sat on roomy, rust textured bleachers. The staging marked a passing of time, a changing of moods. A rewriting of rewritten codes.

Mood board: On display at the brand’s Florence museum is the red chiffon blouse from Alessandro Michele’s debut for A/W 2015 – the look that has spearheaded a new interpretation of manhood. Habitually, in fashion, we know what ‘masculinity’ means; we understand it as a sharp suit, a fitted silhouette. We know it is shorthand for fabrics like wool, cotton-drill and leather. We know it isn’t silk, lace or lightness. Here Gucci’s models appeared like a cast of eclectic millennial misfits, Warhol muses disinterested in fame. A dress, a furry shoe, a suit, a baggy jean. A Peter Pan collar knit. A plurality. 

Best in show: The show opened with a pair of metallic leather flares, followed by Liberty London print bags and puffa jackets complete with original Liberty logo. Shirts were puckered at the buttons. Boys carried leather bags that would have been considered feminine only 18 months ago. Shrunken knits were worn over long shorts. Hi-shine crystal jewellery was thrown over baggy grandad coats. T-shirts had the words Think/Thank and Impatience/Impotence borrowed from the book ‘Psychopts’ conceived in 2008 by the writer/musician Richard Hell and painter Christopher Wool.