IMAGE: GUCCI

Alessandro Michele sure loves his birds was the first thing that popped into my mind when I browsed the campaign images from Gucci’s upcoming Cruise 2017 collection. There were peacocks for Spring-Summer 2016 and flamingos for Pre-Fall 2016, and now we’ve got cocks and hens for Cruise 2017. Really. Alongside veteran British actress Vanessa Redgrave, which is a really odd pairing until you find out why.

IMAGES: GUCCI

Set in scenic Chatsworth, the countryside home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Gucci’s Creative Director Alessandro Michele has often cited British culture as a source of constant inspiration. And it shows up lots in his Cruise 2017 collection for Gucci. From the 70’s punk youth subculture movement to beautifully landscaped English gardens, the RTW, bags, shoes and accessories are a celebration of Britannia, where studded leather jackets, tartan coats and dresses printed with motifs from early English porcelain in blue and white, all melded beautifully into a crowd-pleasing collection under the deft artful hands of Alessandro Michele.

Photographed by Glen Luchford and starring 8 models with Ms Redgrave making an appearance in some of the campaign stills, this unlikely juxtaposition always feels so odd in the beginning, but the more you look at it, the more it makes sense, something that’s becoming Gucci’s signature when it comes to their collections.

IMAGE: GUCCI

And in case anyone’s wondering, that bag Ms Redgrave is wearing is also the one I want from the Cruise 2017 collection. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

Images: Gucci