Fashion and the Theatre interrelate in their orientation around communication. The theatre transfixes us with its simulation of life, its playing with the boundary between the real and the imaginary, blurring art with existence. Fashion communicates this through clothing: materials; textures; prints; colours; lines; cuts. Fashion presents us with a façade, a path into expressing ourselves, blurring the boundary between our personal concept of the real and the imaginary. The theatre and fashion, put simply, hold the power to unify; GucciFest couldn’t say this clearer.
Look 43 and look 44 images via GucciFest website
‘The Theatre’ is stripped back and raw. The narrative complexity and busyness have subtly faded, replaced by an intense stillness. In previous episodes Gucci’s garments stood parallel to the cinematographic energy, the clothes being an extension of the setting. In Episode 4, however, ‘The Theatre’ is simply a backdrop: an extension of the vulnerability and honesty which exudes from Gucci’s pieces.
Look 46 and look 48 images via GucciFest website
Opening with a focus on Sasha Waltz and her ballet dancers, looks 52 – 61 hold a sense of sensitivity and serenity, stemming from a delicacy in material and muteness of colour palette. Sheer lace and florals create a visual subtlety which is further enhanced by both the dancers’ movement and the loose, relaxed, billowy cuts and thrills. As dance is an extension of the soul, the daintiness of these looks feels an extension of the body, a pure reminder of the beauty in expression. In underplaying colours and patterns and stripping these pieces back, Gucci perhaps makes a statement about the purpose of fashion, for as we watch the dancers become one organism, embodying the ‘sensation of touch’, we see that beneath everything lays a universal connection. Fashion is a unique expression of your true self and, even when stripped back to its rawist, it is art.
Look 49 and look 52 images via GucciFest website
Alongside this is Silvia Calderoni. Wearing all-over sequins, her look juxtaposes this natural serenity, presenting an authenticity of expression so true to both her character and the fashion of Gucci. The bold clashing of green, red and purple falls in-step with the other models’ looks within this episode – an array of bright colours and overstated patterns. Trainers are paired with a relaxed kaftan, mustard is worn with fuchsia and tall socks are layered underneath baggy knee-length shorts. Yet despite the striking tension between the ballet dancers and the models, they join to become one. The amalgamation of cuts and colours and material seems to echo the heart of Gucci’s campaign: fashion is an unrestricted expression, a universal uniting language.
Look 56 and look 58 images via GucciFest website
As Maurice Ravel’s Boléro plays, (a piece notably famous for Ravel’s preoccupation with re-inventing movement) we are reminded of GucciFest’s emphasis on expression. At its heart, fashion is the externalisation of the self and, when loosened from all rules and limitations, it is irreplaceable.
Look 60 and look 61 images via GucciFest website
Words by Hannah Emery
Graphics by Millie Pollok
