Episode five is a medley of life: a spirited collection of vignettes highlighting the enchanting multidimensionality of humanity. Returning to the apartment of Episode One, the home is once again a gateway into our most exposed, eccentric selves. As Billie Eilish sings ‘Therefore I am’, we are bathed both in the glorious possibilities of being and the elan that Gucci advocates for expression.
For the first time, Silvia Calderoni is an outsider. Watching her flamboyant neighbours, dressed in a black chiffon, dress detailed with lace and flowers, she is both physically and symbolically ‘the other’. The transparency and delicacy of her look would usually conjure a softer image, however, the boldness of black and the bright red of her shoes contradict this. The merge of the harsh and the fragile, the barely-there yet statement making, forms a tension which seems to at once echo and contrast Alessandro Michele’s creative vision for Gucci. Silvia’s look is daring enough to fulfil Michele’s desire of diversifying fashion yet romantic and subtle enough to suggest a new, softer and relaxed side to these realms.
As the film unfolds, Silvia Calderoni is contrasted by the eccentricity of ‘The Neighbours’ who busy themselves with various recreational modes of expression: reading aloud, painting, taking a bath and playing music. Despite their visual intensity, the looks of Episode 4 reflect their character’s personality rather than form it. This is similar to Day 3 of GucciFest, ‘At the Theatre’. Ariana Papademetropoulus is a vision of beauty, dressed in a silk floral printed dress with a Gucci Jackie 1961 bag, we watch her watering plants and painting. Her dress dreamily melts into the serenity of the balcony; the fashion and wearer melt into one. Simultaneously, Darius Khonsary pins up hair pieces on a washing line, wearing a floral printed sequined dress and new Gucci Eyewear. The 60s-esque strikingness of the print introduces a fiercer dimension to the floral prints of this collection, a deliberate playing with patterns and effects. On Billie Eilish, we see the return of the ‘1921’ and ‘25’ slogans emblazoned on a hoodie and paired with track pants and a patterned flat cap. This look, along with the other 1921 pieces in the collection, ooze an urban edginess – a fresh, contemporary strand for a fashion house so previously centred around bold, eclectic looks.
Episode five, ‘The Neighbours’, speaks to the two dimensionalities of Gucci. On one hand, wearers of Gucci can be Silvia Calderoni, quietly expressive, wearing fashion which whispers of an inner self; on the other hand, wearers of Gucci can be ‘The Neighbours’, self-assured, loud, extravagant characters. Gucci has shown, more than ever, they are for everyone no matter your personal form of expression.
Words by Hannah Emery, Graphics by Victoria Zhao
