New York may not be a revolutionary location for a fashion show, but Times Square certainly is. Earlier this week, Gucci staged its cruise show, entitled GucciCore, in this epicentre of Manhattan, where all walks of city life converge.
We touched down at Newark knowing almost nothing. The destination had been confirmed, but everything else was kept from guests until the last moment.
As evening fell, cars arrived and we headed west from our Park Avenue hotel. Times Square appeared before we reached the piers, and that, it turned out, was where we were going. It made sense. The House opened its first store outside Italy in New York in 1953, and has considered the city its second home ever since.
The famous billboards, usually given over to Coca-Cola red or the latest Netflix campaign, had been taken over by Gucci for the evening, advertising ice cream, sporting gear, cars, high jewellery, underwear and pets under the house's name. Around 600 guests had been invited – celebrities, influencers and press – a deliberately small number for a space that ordinarily holds the entire world. Kim Kardashian, Mariah Carey, Lindsay Lohan and Chloe Malle were among those waiting to see what Demna would debut on this makeshift runway, while members of the public pressed against the barriers outside for a glimpse.
Photo: Martina Bonnier
