If Gucci Fall 2011
is any indication of what we’ll see from the rest of Milan Fashion
Week, then I think my credit card is going to be begging for mercy
when fall pre-orders start. The ready-to-wear had an easy, colorful,
jet-set hippie feel to it with lavishly draped chiffon and vibrant
furs, and the handbags were just as luxurious. Exotics outnumbered
regular leathers and some models carried multiple bags, indicating
Gucci’s emphasis on accessories for the season to come.
What was perhaps even more interesting than the colors or materials
were the shapes that they took. Gucci is the latest brand to embrace
the so-called “lady scale” bag, and most of the runway options were
sized for essentials only. If you’re a woman who needs to carry
her whole life in her handbag, though, fret not; Gucci showed several
larger New Jackie shoulder bags as well.