FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

Gucci's got a brand-new bag

Gucci's got a brand-new bag

The mammoth flagship store at the new Central Embassy is designed to make eyes pop

Central Embassy mall’s talk-of-the-social-networks grand opening last week featured a first glimpse of the massive Gucci flagship store designed by the Italian fashion house’s creative director, Frida Giannini. It rises two storeys and spans more than 5,900 square feet.
“I wanted to amplify the luxurious aspect of the Gucci store environment and to create an aesthetic that’s complementary to the vision of the house today,” Giannini said in a press release.
The store was packed all day as people gawked at the wide-open space, naturally but spectacularly lit, with ribbed glass, polished gold and smoked mirrors adding an elegant Art Deco feel to the customary Gucci building materials rosewood and stone. A stylised version of Gucci’s signature green and red stripe is among the symbolic detailing.
With ceilings four metres up and a posh curved staircase, the store has an immense selection of ready-to-wear clothes, shoes, luggage, handbags, small leather goods, silks, fragrances and sunglasses. Big spenders will be fawned upon in a VIP salon on the upper level.
Gucci set up an Artisan Corner for the occasion where guests could watch its craftsmen at work – flown in from the firm’s Florentine leather-goods factory. There were worktables, a sewing machine, a leather stand and all sorts of tools, and a backdrop illustrating the evolution of Gucci products.
The artisans assembled lovely handbags – the New Bamboo, Bamboo Shopper, New Jackie, Emily and Soho – and hand-embossed them with the buyer’s monogram. Bamboo processing itself was even demonstrated.
The Gucci Bamboo bag debuted in 1947 and was reintroduced as the New Bamboo bag in 2010. Both models comprise 130 separate pieces and the craftsmanship is unchanged, a two-day effort culminating in perfect details.
Giannini spring-summer clothing collection for women will appeal to their strong yet sensual nature and tendency to be spontaneous. Sleek, loose lines and ornate decoration add an athletic flair to the activewear that is nonetheless utterly feminine.
There are iridescent colours and patterns, deep slits, unexpected cuts, plunging necklines and much transparency. Maxi T-shirts in perforated suede with elastic trim and mesh are paired with jacquard, laminations and leather inlays. The suede bomber jacket as light as a net. The trench coat and the jumpsuit are made of gossamer silk. Trousers and shorts take on fresh proportions, detailing and gymnastic shapes. A silk kimono has leather edging or jacquard patterns. Low-waist cocktail dresses reach just below the knee.
Among the accessories, the handbags are embellished with draped fringe, a funky 1960s giggle at the burnished Bamboo bag, the Maxi-clutch, the Shopper and the small shoulder bag. Choose black or any of several bright colours and python, suede or leather. The shoes are elastic and emblazoned with colour, and feature cone-shape heels and a faceted, metallic surface. Bracelets of hardened Plexiglas match the hues of the Maxi sunglasses.
The men’s collection takes Gucci’s respect for tradition and devotion to innovation to the extreme, with research delving into untapped materials and shapes. The hi-tech approach gives suits an unexpected look and turns sportswear luxurious and sophisticated.
A man’s romantic soul and instinctive spontaneity find their expression in floral prints and a wide variety of designs and pairings. This season sees a progression of Gucci’s duality – the coalescence of a formal man, loyal to a classic sartorial tradition, with a man who loves to dare and who seeks from this very same tradition distinctive workings, materials, and volumes.
You see blue with accents of Bordeaux, icy white from head to toe or interspersed with neutral beige or grey, and military green with a flash of yellow coral. The classic Gucci floral prints tinge pants, T-shirts, suits and outerwear, even the silk of the jumpsuit and the new shirt-style jacket. Everything can be mixed and matched in different colours for a romantic zest. Tie-dye patterns and mini-polka-dots characterise the deconstructed formalwear.

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