The former creative director of Gucci on taking the reins of Valentino Garavani’s atelier — and why turning the house into another fashion giant would be a disaster

Ancora red is out; emerald green is in. Or so it seemed during the Gucci show at the opening of Milan Fashion Week, where it was as if Sabato De Sarno, the designer who abruptly left his job earlier this month, had practically never even been there. Fashion, it turns out, is fully capable of its own revisionist history. It’s that kind of moment.

Models emerged from toilet stalls and celebrities posed by sinks after Valentino’s Alessandro Michele transformed his Paris Fashion Week venue into an atmospheric tiled restroom.

“The things that look old and démodé are, like, the best,” Alessandro Michele told Vogue recently, shortly before he unveiled his first Valentino Haute Couture collection since being appointed artistic director at the house, as successor to Pierpaolo Piccioli. “Also, in a month, they are going to be super fashionable.”

Gucci signaled its creative transition on the first day of Milan Fashion Week by sheathing the showroom in a plush green carpet and pleated drapery, replacing the deep red of the Sabato De Sarno era

The collection, inspired by house founder Guccio Gucci, pulled classic brand references—with a focus on ’70s flair.

For its F/W 25 collection, Gucci models walked through a dark green–coated space with a massive interlocking G logo in the middle. The color alone—a departure from the black cherry that has defined its recent seasons—set the tone for the next chapter of the Italian house.

Get ready for Valentino's take on Vans, as revealed at Paris Fashion Week recently. Here's what you need to know about the Valentino x Vans collection. Read more on Grazia.

Alessandro Michele held his sophomore ready-to-wear show for Maison Valentino yesterday in Paris. Before the first model even hit the runway, the brand’s rich heritage was immediately felt.

“Today, the collection could be seen as foundational, that says something of Gucci in its codes and beliefs both past, present and future,” said the advance notes. “A synthesis of eras is embraced… from the late 1960s – the inception of Gucci ready-to-wear… from mid 1990s minimalism to the more recent ultra-maximal.”