Gucci RTW Fall 2014

"I felt the need to materialize the essence of Gucci," Frida Giannini wrote in her program notes. If one infers from her words a moment of reevaluation, it proved worthwhile, as here was a smart, savvy Gucci collection. For one thing, Giannini seemed to have asked herself, What does the Gucci woman, whom she characterized as someone who "dresses to please herself rather than others," want and need to wear? The answer, plain and simple: real clothes that deliver functional chic — and, of course, a hefty dose of the essential house glamour.