Gucci’s Alessandro Michele trotted out a uterus design on a gown for his Cruise 2020 show in Milan Tuesday, a statement of bodily autonomy to protest the spate of anti-abortion measures in the U.S., but also giving the effect of the skeleton tuxedo shirt all teen brothers wear at some point on Halloween. As if to counterbalance that, he also showed a titty contraption, probably alluding to Roman courtesans, that is best described as a style of steampunk breast pump. I hate it!
Abortion legality was a prevailing motif in the show—the words “My Body My Choice” adorned some garments, and according to i-D, Michele was inspired by recent events:
“Today, for someone in my position, it’s important to say [political] things,” said Michele after the show, referring to the show’s timely subtext. “Recently what I’ve been reading in newspapers made me reflect on the fact that women have to be respected. They should be able to choose what they want and terminating a pregnancy is not going to uproot the womb or the uterus.”
He also had some… interesting thoughts about Rome itself, the true inspiration for his collection:
“Rome is a place that’s difficult to define, even if you’re born here,” Alessandro said of his hometown. “Rome is a big womb and many things came out of it. I will disappear but Rome will remain. Places that have been here for ages will remain; saints and prostitutes.”
It’s not a dichotomy, dog! While I have grown weary of the Gucci cult—especially in its recent spate of really needing to do better—at least he is consistent in showing a melange of vintage influences and highly literal tromp l’oeil. I just don’t know if doing this shit to a model’s nipples is exactly freeing, unless she so chose to get freaky with it—generally it just looks like it hurts—but then perhaps I’m just extremely weary of the way most men in fashion interpret feminism.