Under the hazy glow of a Florentine evening, Gucci returned to its birthplace for Cruise 2026—a poetic homecoming staged within the storied walls of Palazzo Settimanni. Here, in the heart of the Renaissance, the House unveiled a collection exploring memory and motion: a sartorial journey through time, archive and imagination.
Florence—where Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci—is no mere stop on the Maison’s travelling Cruise circuit. It’s the House’s eternal muse, a city whose very name refers to the act of blooming. Within this palimpsest of history and artistry, the creative studio team reimagined Gucci’s DNA with a modern vision of opulence and sprezzatura—that studied Italian effortlessness, once reserved for Renaissance courtiers and now refracted through fashion’s lens.
The collection, shown within Gucci’s living archive, traversed the decades with patchworked verve: exaggerated shoulders and long, sinuous silhouettes danced between day and night wear, while rich brocades, layered lace, jacquard silks and velvet conjured Florence’s legacy as a textile titan. The GG monogram wove through the looks with graphic command, while leather goods—a nod to the House and city’s roots—took bold new forms. The Gucci Giglio bag, named for Florence’s iconic lily, made its debut, evoking immediate frenzy. The mood was equal parts polish and rock ‘n’ roll, with a spirit of undone luxury that has become the brand’s MO.
In collaboration with Pomellato, high jewellery pieces glittered with artisanal intimacy—leather, gold and pavé diamonds forming heirlooms of the future.
As night fell, Gucci defied the traditional finale: models stepped from the Palazzo into the piazza, disappearing into the city that made them. A cinematic closing to a show that was less a spectacle than a love letter to Florence, to craftsmanship, and to the House that continues to blossom from its roots.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.
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