From the moment Frida Giannini debuted her print-happy collection of forties-inspired dresses for Gucci in 2005, the message was clear: farewell, hard-edged eroticism; hello, ladylike sexiness. Just 32 when she landed the post of creative director of womenswear, she had made a splash at Gucci the previous year with a collection of accessories, from canvas totes to loafers, featuring the Flora print created in the 1960's for a scarf for Grace Kelly.
The Giannini years have been characterized by a mining of the archives, with Gucci hallmarks reinterpreted in a fresh and contemporary way. In 2006 Giannini took charge of the entire brand image when menswear was added to her portfolio??no small undertaking for a self-described "ponytail girl" from Rome, who inherited her love of fashion from her grandmother, a dress shop owner. After studying at Rome's Fashion Academy, Giannini landed at Fendi as a ready-to-wear designer in 1997. Three seasons later, she moved into the accessories department, which had introduced the seminal Baguette in 1997, credited with igniting the last decade's It bag phenomenon. Though Giannini swore to Vogue that she couldn't "claim its maternity," her talents didn't go unnoticed. Gucci hired her in 2002 to oversee its handbags, and two years later, upon the departure of the formidable Tom Ford, named her creative director of accessories.
While Ford during his reign at Gucci engineered an epoch of overt sex references that reverberated across the retail world, Giannini's talents are more low-profile. She works in the same bohemian, rock-chic idiom, but focuses more on feminine, wearable clothes, less on scandal. The net result: Gucci's bottom line has continued to blossom brightly. "I can't just think of a party girl," she told Vogue in 2005. "I want to understand an intelligent glamour, everyday luxury??things a woman can wear with sensuality, not just to show off her tits."
Tags: Gucci Outlet Store, Gucci Outlet, Gucci Outlet online, Gucci online store