“A Romance for Love and Life and Passion”: Gucci FW24

All photos courtesy of Dara Allen.

FRIDAY FEB. 23, 2024 3:06 PM MILAN.

JAKE NEVINS: Okay, so we’re speaking just as you get back from the Gucci re-see. Talk to me about Gucci FW24 on second impression.

DARA: Yes, we’re in Milan. It just started pouring rain. I’m back at the hotel. Room service has been ordered. We just saw the Gucci re-see and it was fab up close. You got to see all the beading and the embellishments. There were some really hot shoes and really cute bags. And good leather.

NEVINS: I’m obsessed with the patent leather boots.

DARA: Wading boots are a hot trend. I feel like I’ve see a lot of these thigh-high, knee-high, shiny, shiny rain boots. Gucci’s are really sexy. I loved that they had thigh-high versions and knee-high versions. Knee-high was the vibe for me.

NEVINS: I like the knee-high. Those little wool dresses, velvet on the titties.

DARA: Those were cute. The little gray dress with the lace inset with the velvet under cup. A lot of it is very Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which is really hot.

NEVINS: Yes, it’s hippie-dippy Sharon Tate, but if her dad were like, a hotel tycoon.

DARA: It’s sexy, yeah. There were these little wool yellow mustard sets with little mini skirts. Everything’s super short and the silhouettes are really linear, which is cool. The coats are really architectural and they stand away from the body, which is hot. We really like the little shorts and some of them were sequined or beaded. She’s got a high, high, high shoe. Her Gucci loafer is now a sling-back platform heel.

NEVINS: It’s high as hell.

DARA: That’s a sneaker for me, babe. The purses were little makeup cases, kind of like a toiletry bag. There were little tiny ones, patent leather that matched the shoes. That’s really ’60s, 70s groupie girl. I do love that era, actually. She’s never far away from my heart.

NEVINS: If you’re running around Milan with your patent leather makeup case-slash-clutch-slash-mini bag, what’s inside of it?

DARA: Oh my god. What is a Gucci girl holding? She’s probably got some Gucci lipstick up in there. She’s got cigarettes, because she’s Italian and she’s in Europe. She’s got gum.

NEVINS: Definitely.

DARA: Oh, hold on. My room service is here. One second. I ordered two sandwiches because I couldn’t decide between ham and cheese or chicken milanese.

NEVINS: The Gucci girl definitely has half her chicken milanese in her mini bag.

DARA: And a phone charger, because I’ve been dying. It’s really hard out here for the girls with no phone charger.

NEVINS: Must have.

DARA: The Gucci show was really far out of the city. You got dropped off somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and then you had to walk this long stretch. It was actually pretty fab because it really was immersive. Then you ended up in this giant warehouse building and all the seats had these red, shiny envelopes with the show notes inside. Hold on, they’re knocking on my door again

NEVINS: A third sandwich.

DARA: They just delivered some more water. I didn’t ask for that, but I’m happy to have it. Need to stay hydrated.

NEVINS: You simply must.

DARA: Anyway, Gucci was very glam. It was divine. It was kind of an it-girl section. There was Devon Lee Carlson and her sister. Emma Chamberlain was there. There was some other diva who seemed to be very fierce, but I didn’t recognize her from the back.

NEVINS: Solange and Salma [Hayek] both showed up.

DARA: I saw Salma Hayek. She looked gorgeous.

NEVINS: Gucci girls at every age.

DARA: Totally. Fun, easygoing. Mark Ronson did the music and it was all these really romantic songs. They were all about love, and I felt like that was the through line, from the music to the show notes to the invitations: follow your heart. It was very much about a romance for love and life and passion.

NEVINS: I see that. They’re the kind of clothes you wear when you’re not quite ready to say “I love you,” but you like him enough to want to really dress up for him. You throw on one of these mini dresses.

DARA: Yeah, it’s giving good first date.

NEVINS: Let’s talk about the embellished coats real quick.

DARA: The embellishments are pretty fab up close. I’m a big fan of a bugle bead and I don’t feel like people appreciate them enough. Gucci did a really good bugle bead on these cardigans, which was nasty and crazy. And then the sleeves and the ends had bugle bead fringe woven into the yarn, which is obnoxious and luxurious. You’re cozy, but also giving Bob Mackey.

NEVINS: A Cher moment, Tina Turner. What’s next on your agenda?

DARA: I’m taking a nap, I’m eating my sandwich, and then I’m going to go to the Bottega show tonight. No after party for me because mama is tired.