Gucci's Hollywood Love Parade

Gucci on Tuesday took over Los Angeles’ most famous street, the Hollywood Boulevard in front of the legendary Chinese Theatre, home of the annual Academy Awards and most glamorous of red carpets, to show its Spring 2022 collection.

The Florentine fashion house chose to host its catwalk presentation along the historic Walk of Fame, an ode to cinematic and fashionable Hollywood. The setting proved spectacular, but it was the collection that soared as creative director Alessandro Michele explored new paradigms and riffed on LA’s fashion codes that never seem to tire in urban California: there were cowboy hats and leggings, fur stoles (faux) and lace-up jeans, tiaras, mules, bowties and Hawaii print everything.

The boudoir gowns stole the show

But these were mere styling tools alongside a strong hand in tailoring, like the checked tuxedos, evening coats and printed suits. The boudoir gowns stole the show, however, and elicited old Hollywood vibes, something akin to Elizabeth Taylor’s era with bell-sleeves and ballroom hems trimmed with fur; the hand-appliqued lace on a corset dress or the pale pink chiffon negligee that cascaded into sparkly feathers.

The sharp focus on glamour could easily transpose to the annual Oscar’s ceremony, especially as many of the models and guests were famous Hollywood faces: Diane Keaton, Billie Eilish and Gwyneth Paltrow on the front row - the latter in a red velvet suit a la Tom Ford Gucci; Jared Leto, Miranda July and Macauley Culkin on the catwalk.

“LA is not a fashion city, but it’s so fashionable,” Michele told Vogue backstage before the show. “Sometimes they are not appropriate, but in being not appropriate they are so precise. Maybe it belongs to my way of looking at fashion—it’s personal.”

Called the Gucci Love Parade, the backdrop of palm trees and stars along the Walk of Fame melded with the Hollywood catwalk cast and guest list, which saw Michele bring the sirens of the silver screen come to life.