Courtesy of Gucci's Instagram.
Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele often looks to the 1970s to find inspiration for his collections, whether it is borrowing the exaggerated shapes of the decade’s eyewear, staging his Spring/Summer 2019 show in the building of Paris’ iconic Le Palace discotheque, or last night’s Cruise show in Rome’s Capitoline Museum, which took audiences back to 22 May 1978 – the day abortion became legal in Italy under statute 194.
The date was emblazoned in red onto the front of a black collar, while the back of a violet jacquard blazer read, “MY BODY MY CHOICE”, the slogan of the 1970s feminist movement. Other nods to women’s rights included a “CHIME” t-shirt, which refers to Gucci’s 2013 gender equality campaign, co-founded with Salma Hayek and Beyoncé, and uterus embroidery.
While pro-choice movements have made headway in recent years with the 2018 legalisation in historically conservative Ireland, under the Trump administration, state legislators have been challenging the 1973 Roe v. Wade US Supreme Court Case, which protects a woman’s right to choose throughout the country. Restrictive bills like Georgia, Ohio and Kentucky’s “foetal heartbeat bills” – which prohibit abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy (before many women know they are pregnant) or once a heartbeat can be detected – are in violation of the 1973 decision and are being used to have the ruling reversed, making abortion legalisation a state issue.
Photography by Dan Lecca. Courtesy of Gucci
Michele joins the rallying call of designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Phillip Lim, who have publicly come out in support of the pro-choice movement, but the reproductive rights debate was not the only cultural touch point in the Cruise collection. The line featured faux-fur trimmed clerical garments, reminiscent of the Vatican fashion show in Fellini’s Roma (1972), as well as variations of Mickey Mouse prints on sweaters.
Paying off of the venue, Gucci added draped togas over its tailored suit looks as the models walked among the marble statues depicting the history and mythology of Italy. Using the museum’s 200 B.C. bronze Hercules sculpture as a reference point, the Italian luxury house unveiled ear coverings featuring the face of the Roman demigod.
Check out more looks from the runway below:
Photography by Dan Lecca. Courtesy of Gucci