Munching on Gucci popcorn

Ayala Museum took the hush-hushed tone of Hollywood in privacy mode recently, the main lobby clad in black, and most of the guests milling about the space wearing the same hue (non-hue?). 

A frisson of excitement ran through the air as, one by one, seven celebrities arrived and mingled with the chosen few invited to watch a short film titled The Tiger. (Don’t ask me who the last one was to arrive, delaying the entire proceedings by at least 30 minutes).

Gucci, under the designing eye of Demna Gvasalia, was giving everyone a sneak peek of the latest collection. But it was to be no ordinary a fashion show, oh no. Manila has seen many of that, and Gucci being Gucci would not have any of that, too, for sure.

Instead, we had seven ‘stars’ circling the night in outfits so strikingly distinct, there was no doubt they were wearing a character. Anne Curtis was sleek yet soft in a feathery robe dress that showed off her perfect face. The SB19 guy was in jeans and a Gucci jacket, sending fans gathered outside the museum into throes of delight. Marian Rivera looked polished, and Kylie Verzosa looked hot (literally) in head-to-toe logo that would be perfect for some winter travel somewhere not in humid Manila.

Well, they were the ones who appeared in my view before we were ushered into an inner sanctum that led to a private theater. Even as the 30-minute story unreeled, the scene within the theater seemed as surreal as the images onscreen, with Anne Curtis as La Drama Queen smack center up front, stealing attention even as Demi Moore opened the story in a dream sequence bursting with crimson, gold and a scream.

The La Famiglia collection marks a new Gucci era by Demna — “unapologetically sexy, extravagant and daring.” The Georgian-born creative director known mononymously as Demna used to design for Balenciaga. He has assiduously looked into “the House’s archival and visual codes across multiple eras, in anticipation of and building up to his personal vision for Gucci,” as revealed in the star-studded satire featuring Demi Moore as Barbara Gucci, Edward Norton, Elliot Page and Kendall Jenner. 

The story centers on Barbara, beautiful, powerful yet fragile. She invites her family to a dinner as part of her “interview” with a magazine writer, who becomes part of the evening’s unraveling. The eye is drawn to the colors, the details, the elegance and personal styles, making The Tiger truly a fashion show of its own distinction. Does this mean Hollywood’s stars have found a new outlet for their talents in the evolving fashion world?

The main characters each represent “a distinct facet of the House’s personas, shaped by attitude, aesthetic language and the shared mindset that defines the ‘Gucciness’ of Gucci.”

In Manila, these looks were worn by Anne Curtis (Look 29 La Drama Queen), Marian Rivera (Look 10 Gallerista), Kylie Verzosa (Look 16 La V.I.C.), Georgina Wilson (Look 24 La Bomba), Kyle Echarri (Look 19 Principino), Jarren Garcia (Look 25 Rubacuori) and Felip of SB19 (Look 17 Figo). 

The dramatic, intimate and deeply aesthetic unveiling of La Famiglia collection reveals much of this new era for the Maison.