How Gucci went from Tom Ford chic to Alessandro Michele gawky

Models present creations by newly appointed creative director Alessandro Michele for fashion house Gucci at the women Fall / Winter 2015/16 Milans Fashion Week. AFP PHOTO / GIUSEPPE CACACE

An entire generation of “Gucciers’’ – die-hard fans of the top Italian luxury label during its heydays in the 1990s – will now have to make a beeline for the headmistress’ office. Their misdemeanour? Daring to hope that new blood at the fashion house might inject some vamp into the vacuum chamber.

But anyone who sat up and took notes at the label’s recent Autumn/Winter 2015-2016 showcase would have seen the writing on the board – the new breed of Gucci woman has been stripped of exhibitionism in favour of geek chic.