Red carpet as runway: Gucci’s Sabato De Sarno debuts eveningwear
Gucci’s creative director Sabato De Sarno has had a whirlwind month and a half. After presenting his first collection for spring/summer 2024 during Milan Fashion Week in September, De Sarno has been slowly pulling the blinds up on his new, more classically driven direction for the label, releasing ad campaigns starring the likes of Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Paul Mescal, all wearing pieces from the catwalk, which include easy trench coats, wide-leg trousers, sharp knits, cool sweats, preppy blazers, and crisp denim.
And, of course, the iconic brown double-G logo is splashed across some of the new ready-to-wear and accessories – sometimes styled quite literally from head to toe. The Horsebit and Bamboo hardware are also back in full force on bags and shoes, and De Sarno has focused a lot of his attention on reinvigorating classic outerwear for the brand. Overall, the vibe is decidedly more effortless and minimal than what we’ve seen from Gucci in the recent past. Gone are the maximalist layers, bug-eyed spectacles, and psychedelic prints; De Sarno’s Gucci brings an evolved sense of heritage and a wearable, contemporary chic.
This weekend, De Sarno revealed more of his vision with the house’s new eveningwear collection, which debuted on the red carpet at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art + Film Gala. The event was co-chaired by Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio, and honoured the artist Judy Baca and the filmmaker David Fincher. With Gucci sponsoring the evening, De Sarno and his team felt it was the right moment to present and contextualise his more formal designs. In a statement, De Sarno noted that this offering is a natural and organic extension of the ready-to-wear, explaining that it is “anchored to reality and made of joy and humanity”.
Titled “Ancora Notte”, the 12-piece gown collection features details that nod to the Gucci archives. Namely, De Sarno incorporated cutouts, micro-shorts, and lace inserts, all of which hark back to codes born during the 1990s. The beautifully simple slips and embellished bias-cut gowns were worn by some new faces including Camilla Orner and Agel Akol, both of whom made their runway debuts in Gucci’s spring/summer 2024 show, alongside more established names like Vittoria Ceretti and Mariacarla Boscono.
During the event, De Sarno also showcased a small collection of new men’s formalwear, modelled by a select group of musicians and actors including A$AP Rocky, Elliot Page and Pedro Pascal. Here too, De Sarno reinterpreted '90s-era Gucci suiting with straight tailoring and buttons featuring the signature interlocking G.
Between the sharp silhouettes of the men’s pieces and the more revealing shapes and details in the women’s designs, it seems that De Sarno wants to drive home a sexier point when it comes to Gucci’s red-carpet offerings. Thigh-high slits, sheer fabrics, and lingerie-adjacent bodice detailing give “Ancora Notte” a fresh feeling of strength and sensuality. It certainly had an air of youthfulness too, namely in the cuts of the gowns, which point toward a younger clientele.
It will be interesting to see how De Sarno evolves this category for the house, especially when the current state of red carpets is on shaky ground due to the ongoing actors' strike in Hollywood. But if there is one thing that has become clear in the weeks since De Sarno made his debut in Milan, it’s that he is a designer with a keen business sense – someone who understands the value of beautiful design and how to build a very star-studded world around it.
Below, dive into “Ancora Notte” with exclusive collection imagery from last night’s LACMA Art + Film Gala.
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