Gucci Core, Genius or Gimmick

Hello, it’s Pey Pey and welcome back to drunk on couture. This week we’re diving cookie first into one of the most extravagant, celebrity infested fashion spectacles I’ve seen in a while. And honestly? Im not 100% sure how I feel about it. (See all Pictures down below)

So grab the dusty Gucci Marmont belt hiding in the back of your closet, pour yourself something to drink, and buckle your pussy up.

Last Saturday, May 16, Demna unveiled his debut cruise collection for Gucci, titled Gucci core right in the middle of Times Square. Because apparently when you have a billion-dollar marketing budget, shutting down one of the most chaotic intersections on earth is simply a casual Saturday activity.

Every billboard in Times Square had been transformed into a Gucci campaign. The taxis, the screens, the atmosphere it was like being trapped inside the world’s most expensive Instagram ad. Somewhere, a marketing major jizzed his pants instantly.

And the celebrity attendance? Insane.

Kim Kardashian, Mariah Carey, and Lady Bunny sat front row dripping in fur, florals and gg monagrams. Meanwhile, the runway featured appearances from Tom Brady, Paris Hilton, and Cindy Crawford. At this point the show felt less like Fashion Week and more like the seating chart from Lauren Sanches Bezos birthday party.

Now technically this was a cruise collection. Resort wear. Vacation clothes. Silks, linens, raffia….

So please explain to me why there was enough faux fur on that runway to keep all of Tuxedo (a superb suburb in Winnipeg) warm through February.

No muff going cold under Demna’s watch.

And honestly, that’s where the collection became both fascinating and frustrating. Because this is very on-brand for Demna. He’s built his entire career on doing the opposite of what’s expected. If you ask for luxury, he gives you irony. If you ask for elegance, he gives you the Matrix.

These emotions are what makes his work interesting.

But at the same time…. It really did feel like 90% of the creative energy went into securing the perfect location, the perfect celebrity cast, the perfect viral moment, and the perfect paparazzi shots while the actual clothing occasionally felt like an afterthought.

Some looks absolutely slayed boots though.

Tom Brady walking out in that full leather look? Yummy. Divorce has never looked better. It was sleek, sexy, obnoxiously masculine, and very Gucci in that “I drive a Ferrari down the country side” kind of way.

And thank GOD they didn’t do Paris Hilton dirty. The brunette hair, the floral dress, the dramatic coat she looked exactly how Paris Hilton should look. That’s hot.

Then came Cindy Crawford in that stunning black strapless gown with feathers exploding from the silhouette. THAT was a finale look. Old school glamour, with a Demna twist. I’d bet money we’ll see it on the next red carpet.

Speaking of red carpets, look 54 that dramatic black faux fur scarf dress situation was worn almost immediately by Demi Moore at the Cannes Film Festival. And honestly? She looked incredible.

There were also a lot of references to classic New York commuters, sharply tailored suits, oversized backpacks, dark sunglasses, and that exhausted degenerate energy. The styling felt very not upper west side Manhattan. Very finance bro meets fashion editor.

Cool? Yes.

Resort? Absolutely not.

And while I genuinely liked many of the looks individually, some outfits truly looked like they belonged on a clearance rack.

Look 12 specifically offended me spirituallyThe blouse looked like a sad polyester knockoff you’d find on a broken plastic hanger. The pants had this bizarre zipper detail that irritated me more then it should have. And the jacket? Fuck, I’ve seen better construction at Urban Planet.

Some of the tailoring also felt intentionally awkward in that very Demna way oversized, slouchy, and cool but sometimes it crossed the line from conceptual into simply ill-fitting. And the faux fur occasionally looked one cigarette away from bursting into flames.

Still, the collection’s title and location weren’t random.

Gucci Core was staged in New York because Gucci opened its first store outside Italy back in 1953. The show was essentially Demna exploring the idea that while Gucci is undeniably Italian at its core, New York has always been part of its identity too. The grunge, the chaos, the ambition, the excess.

And maybe that’s why the resort angle felt so strange. Because Demna’s idea of vacation wear clearly isn’t linen shirts on the Amalfi Coast. His vacation is walking home from the box in fur coat smoking a cigarette, staring at the empire state building and having a dream.

Honestly? Very cool.

Overall, the collection was messy, theatrical, confusing, glamorous, occasionally genius, occasionally nauseating which is exactly why everyone is talking about it. And at the end of the day, making people feel something is more interesting than making another quiet luxury cashmere set.

What did you guys think of Gucci Core? Genius or Gimmick?

Let me know.

Until next time Babes.

Xx,
Pey