Was that a man? Or was it a woman?” These questions were undoubtedly on the minds of the audience at Gucci’s Autumn/Winter 2015-16 show. With only five days to design his debut men’s ready-to-wear collection, new Creative Director Alessandro Michele had Frida Giannini’s premature departure from the fashion house to thank for his swelling reputation. The quick appointment of a largely unknown successor served an even more compelling question, when the last male model walked down the gritty subway-inspired runway in an flimsy silk shirt, slouchy pants and fur-lined loafers: “What does this mean for Gucci?”

The phrase “out with the old” couldn’t be more apt. “Sexiness is an old word. It’s about sensuality now. I am trying to cause a little revolution inside the company, to push another language, a different way to talk about beauty,” says Michele. While the concept of blurring gender lines on runways isn’t a particularly novel concept, Gucci’s embrace of sensual androgyny is. The gender-neutral clothes (more on that later) are a deafening contrast to the colourful history of sexy clothes that swathed models since Tom Ford’s reimagination of the brand in the 1990s, followed by Giannini’s long-standing homage to the then-new brand identity.

Gucci’s name has been synonymous with glamour and provocation for as long as fans can remember. It is harder to claim that with Michele’s direction, the glamour has taken a backseat than it is to suggest that it is on a leave of absence with no foresight of an imminent return. But provoke, it will.

Silhouettes at the men’s are roomier, hems longer and fabrics softer and translucent, with socks and sandals replacing the traditionally masculine Oxford shoe. “I was thinking not in terms of fashion but in terms of attitude,” he says. If that’s the case, then the attitude was energetic with a hint of naivety, just as the mood was gentle and romantic, taking the word “gentleman” to a literal meaning. But Michele will have us know that gentle is not weak; the details, such as the pussy bow and intricate beading do not come without a distinct call for confidence. 

Instead of in-your-face luxury and an overt display of the feminine appeal, a casual coolness rules Michele’s Gucci woman. She cares little about being perceived to be prim and proper. She is emotionally invested in her own eccentrics. Described in variations of “flea market chic” by critics—a compliment, in fashion-speak—models were dressed in imperfectly crinkled midi skirts, floral printed rompers, wide-rimmed glasses and pompom-adorned beanies. Dresses no longer clung to their bodies, allowing comfortable fluidity instead—in movement and in gender. We see continuity in Michele’s vision from the Gucci man to the Gucci woman with similarly baggy yet crisp trousers and the roomy suit pairings, only now scaled down to fit a smaller figure. Female sexualisation, be gone.