The fabrics of "House of Gucci"

The foggy Milanese evenings of this December were the ideal setting to celebrate two major events expected for months: the "Macbeth" at La Scala in Milan and the premiere debut of the film "House of Gucci".

Many commentators have pointed out some curious similarities that we can find between the Shakespearean drama taken up and set to music by Verdi and Ridley Scott's blockbuster, highlighting how in both events the escalation of lust for power of the two Ladies, Macbeth in literary tragedy and Patrizia Reggiani in reality (represented by a very good Lady Gaga), lead to the complete demolition of families and the foundation of a new order.

In watching the film, my attention was focused on the work done by costume designer Janty Yates (Oscar winner for best costume design 2001 for "Gladiator"), who, in a sort of curious meta-cinematic mechanism, had the task of creating a wardrobe of garments that represented their own iconicity.

It should be noted that not all the 54 outfits worn in the film by Lady Gaga belong to Gucci's collections; for example, in one of the cult scenes of the film (Father, Son and the House of Gucci), the New York actress wears a purple/black polka dot dress by Saint Laurent conception. As stated by Janty Yates: "In the 70s Gucci's design was very round and brown, there was a lot of tweed, and it was the accessories, bags, shoes and belts that were the products at the top of the order of importance". In another topical moment of the film, "Our name, Sweetie", Patrizia Reggiani's alter ego wears a long-sleeved total look decorated across the board with the double GG monogram, symbol of the Maison, as if to underline a sort of incarnation within family events.

Co-star of the film is Maurizio Gucci, who is clothing perfectly symbolizes the aesthetic values expressed by the Florentine brand, which caused the parabolic trajectory on which the director dwells. From the tuxedo of the first scene to the party, to the false Wales saxony of the tragic epilogue, Maurizio is always too "perfect in his aplomb Savile Row" and rigidly anchored to pseudo family values to grasp with the right intuition the new instances proposed by a world in change and transformation. Like another tragic Shakespearean hero, Richard II, he remains clinging to the concept that his power comes from belonging to a dynasty, almost a sort of king by divine grace, and does not prove ready to face the new challenges of the "Milan to drink" guarded by the new names of Made in Italy.

Adam Driver stars as Maurizio Gucci in Ridley Scott’s HOUSE OF GUCCI A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc.© 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc.

The foggy Milanese evenings of this December were the ideal setting to celebrate two major events expected for months: the "Macbeth" at La Scala in Milan and the premiere debut of the film "House of Gucci".

Many commentators have pointed out some curious similarities that we can find between the Shakespearean drama taken up and set to music by Verdi and Ridley Scott's blockbuster, highlighting how in both events the escalation of lust for power of the two Ladies, Macbeth in literary tragedy and Patrizia Reggiani in reality (represented by a very good Lady Gaga), lead to the complete demolition of families and the foundation of a new order.

In watching the film, my attention was focused on the work done by costume designer Janty Yates (Oscar winner for best costume design 2001 for "Gladiator"), who, in a sort of curious meta-cinematic mechanism, had the task of creating a wardrobe of garments that represented their own iconicity.

It should be noted that not all the 54 outfits worn in the film by Lady Gaga belong to Gucci's collections; for example, in one of the cult scenes of the film (Father, Son and the House of Gucci), the New York actress wears a purple/black polka dot dress by Saint Laurent conception. As stated by Janty Yates: "In the 70s Gucci's design was very round and brown, there was a lot of tweed, and it was the accessories, bags, shoes and belts that were the products at the top of the order of importance". In another topical moment of the film, "Our name, Sweetie", Patrizia Reggiani's alter ego wears a long-sleeved total look decorated across the board with the double GG monogram, symbol of the Maison, as if to underline a sort of incarnation within family events.

Co-star of the film is Maurizio Gucci, who is clothing perfectly symbolizes the aesthetic values expressed by the Florentine brand, which caused the parabolic trajectory on which the director dwells. From the tuxedo of the first scene to the party, to the false Wales saxony of the tragic epilogue, Maurizio is always too "perfect in his aplomb Savile Row" and rigidly anchored to pseudo family values to grasp with the right intuition the new instances proposed by a world in change and transformation.

Like another tragic Shakespearean hero, Richard II, he remains clinging to the concept that his power comes from belonging to a dynasty, almost a sort of king by divine grace, and does not prove ready to face the new challenges of the "Milan to drink" guarded by the new names of Made in Italy.