Forget flowers and frills—those tried-and-true motifs of resort collections. Frida Giannini went rockabilly. Working in a stark palette of black and white with shots of citrus brights, she turned out full skirts and fitted tops for sweater girls with a wild side. Grommeted leather biker jackets, driving gloves, and dark sunglasses added to the show's theme. But Giannini's models are rebels without a cause, in the sense that at the new Gucci, there are no rough edges. Elaborate, all-over embroidery decorated a dirndl skirt, and graphic bamboo and coral prints added a sunny note to shirtdresses and a cape-like top.
Working off a motif from the Fall show, the necklines of cocktail dresses were decorated with brooches. As embellishments, they were more convincing than the campy logo patches that appeared on T-shirts and sweaters. It's St. Bart's or Mustique, after all, and not a suburban bowling alley, that these clothes are destined for. Some of the pieces, like a bandeau bikini with sexy boy-cut bottoms in a small check, were well suited to those Caribbean hot spots, while a black, red, and white color-block dress would make a sophisticated addition to a vacation wardrobe, no matter what the destination.
