GUCCI ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
The Stars Walk the Mile Long Runway
Leave it to Alessandro Michele’s Gucci to put other fashion houses’ comeback shows to shame.
For the brand’s Resort 2021/2022 show, Gucci staged a blowout spectacle entitled “Gucci Love Parade.” Pair that with the fact that this show also celebrated the storied house’s 100th anniversary, and you have a recipe for an extravaganza unlike any other.
Gucci may as well have said to those in attendance, “Screw Milan and New York. This one’s for Hollywood.”
Essential cinematic looks took center stage – the “stage” being a mile-long (yes, you read that correctly) walk down Hollywood Boulevard, directly past iconic landmarks like the Chinese Theater and the El Capitan (its marquee flashed GUCCI LOVE PARADE). Nostalgia abounded with every single look Michele sent down the runway/street. Old Hollywood mainstays like pastel furs, satin gowns, feathers, and power suits all came together to create a show that was all about, well, the show. Clever touches like cowboy hats and diamond tiaras only added to the Golden Age vibe, as did the celebrities in attendance – many of whom also did double duty as models on the “runway.”
Actor Macaulay Culkin looked better than he ever has as he strutted down Hollywood Boulevard wearing a metallic Harrington/bomber jacket hybrid with Michele’s favorite dork-meets-chic pleated pants. Other big names walked the show as well: Jared Leto (no surprise there as he’s a Gucci mainstay), St. Vincent, Miranda July, Phoebe Bridgers, and Jodie Turner-Smith to name a few.
And if they weren’t walking, they were probably in attendance somewhere along the mile-long runway. Billie Eilish was the belle of the (audience) ball in her signature tunic-and-loose-pants silhouette, along with jaw-dropping pink jeweled headpiece. Diane Keaton was there showing what Diane Keaton shows best – Annie Hall-esque with matching bowler, albeit very Gucci-fied. Other famous faces in attendance included Dakota Johnson (a Michele favorite like Leto), Serena Williams, Sienna Miller, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tyler the Creator, and the Bride of Chucky herself, Jennifer Tilly. One of the highlights, however, was Gwyneth Paltrow. She appeared in a Michele-ified remake of her famed red velvet pantsuit from the 1996 MTV VMAs.
For all the celebrities, whether in the show or the audience, the event was an opportunity to see and be seen. Whether they were offered any paycheck for walking that storied mile down Hollywood Boulevard, any celeb in their right mind would have walked for free. To be a part of this show was to be a part of their very profession, and that is what created the event’s pure Hollywood magic.
