Alessandro Michele is one of the most influential designers in fashion right now, but Gucci’s prices are as high as he is highly regarded. Step forward, Sandro. In a lovely space, full of happy editors and buyers happily eating quiche and salad, the French mid-luxury brand presented a collection (it would be remiss not to acknowledge the heavy influence of Michele’s maximalism) seasoned with a hint of Belstaff menswear tattoo-print, a dash of Balenciaga outerwear styling, and un soupçon de Céline-ian tailoring. I was struck by one jacket’s similarity to a womenswear piece by Phoebe Philo, rocked by former runway model Alexander Fury with great panache.
Sandro should not be castigated for any of this. It is not what Raf Simons would call an “activator,” but a reflector, which filters the contemporary and then reassembles it, spiked with a Sandro-esque flavor. From a navy sweater with a single bold scarlet-edged ruffle running from left shoulder to navel to a cute bomber with interlinked guitars, rose embroideries, and an emblem that read girls can dream (unless they’re Blind for Love), there were many desirable and, vitally, affordable pieces here. It didn’t look new, but it looked good.
