Quelle surprise: A gushy tribute to “the new Gucci.” Again! But since designer Alessandro Michele took the reigns at the Italian fashion house in 2015, his vision for the label is becoming increasingly clear, with keywords like youth, wit, and quirk being used to describe it.
Before Michele, Gucci’s status as a respected brand never wavered, but its coolness was virtually nonexistent in a Wang-, Proenza-, and Céline-filled space. Former creative director Frida Giannini was a pro at glossy luxury, but the label was lacking that very real It-factor that not only gets people buzzing, but gets them spending—Gucci’s sales had been more or less stagnant for the $4 billion brand before Michele.
On the heels of Giannini’s departure last year, Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri admitted as much, talking a lot about plans to make the iconic Italian brand—for lack of a better word—cool, rather than simply appreciated. “[Now] from a creative standpoint, it’s time to give a little bit of push in terms of modernity to make Gucci relevant again in the fashion world,” Bizzarri told Women’s Wear Daily following Michele’s appointment. “Gucci should become again a brand that is in the mind of opinion leaders, of fashion people. They should [feel] the need to go into the Gucci shop,” he said.
But while everyone’s buzzing about Alessandro’s fresh more-is-more aesthetic—and it’s something special, to be sure—the fact remains that it is still Gucci. Meaning: It’s still a luxury of the highest order. And while shelling out $3,000 for one of the label’s drop-dead new Dionysus bags might be palatable for many women—you can use it every day, after all—paying way more than that for a dress you’re not walking down the aisle in likely isn’t in the cards. This, friends, is where fast fashion, discount sites, and a keen eye come to the rescue.
Here, we’ve found 40 pieces to shop that all look as though they were plucked from Michele’s runway—we’re talking nature-themed embroidery, bold prints, giant neck bows, paisley scarves, nerdy specs, and way more for under $200. The trick to really looking like a Gucci girl, though? Don’t just wear one pieces at a time, pile them on to the point where it appears you’ve spent an afternoon raiding grandma’s attic. Don’t worry about looking crazy quirky—that’s the point.
