Why Gucci is having a moment right now
Watch: Lady Gaga explains 'pyschological difficulty' at end of filming House of Gucci
Gucci is the name even those entirely uninterested in fashion know. Worn by every A lister from the Queen to Rihanna, its innovative and timeless designs constantly attract new audiences. With brand 'muses' that include Harry Styles, who regularly appears in its fashion campaigns, Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele is on a roll.
2021 marks 100 years of the iconic brand, and a series of shows and events have celebrated the anniversary.
This month, the label is firmly in the spotlight again, with a huge fashion show taking place on Hollywood Boulevard in LA this week. Michele has said he doesn't want to be tied to the usual Spring and Autumn show schedule - so instead, launched the Gucci Love Parade on an outdoor catwalk.
Stars modelling for the label included Jared Leto, Macaulay Culkin and Jodie Turner-Smith, while the audience included singers Miley Cyrus, Lizzo and Billie Eilish, along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Dakota Johnson, ex wife and current partner of Coldplay's Chris Martin, and even up-and-coming star Normal People's Paul Mescal.
Watch: Macaulay Culkin walks the runway at the Gucci Love Parade
Taking place just outside the Dolby Theatre, which usually hosts the Oscars, Jared Leto was there to promote his role in the upcoming film House of Gucci, in which he plays Paolo Gucci, alongside Lady Gaga.
The clothes featured sequins, lace, feathers and structured satin dresses and suits, suggesting the label's ongoing commitment to body-conscious red-carpet glamour, and a notable nod to Gucci's famous logo in 70s-inspired prints. A listers (and D listers) will adore it - there were over 100 looks, parading past 500 hand-picked guests.
Read more: See All the Stylish Celebs at Tuesday's Gucci Love Parade Fashion Show in L.A.
House of Gucci also premieres this month. the much-anticipated movie, directed by Bladerunner's Ridley Scott, tells the story of the scandal-hit Gucci dynasty of the 90s, and is based on the book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden.
Alongside Gaga and Leto, the film also stars Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino.
Set in Italy, over three decades, it focusses on the murder of Maurizio Gucci, head of the fashion house, by ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, played by Oscar-winner Lady Gaga.
Known for her immersion in her roles, she told Vogue: "I lived as (Reggiani) for a year and a half. And I spoke with an accent for nine months of that. Off camera, I never broke. I stayed with her. It was nearly impossible for me to speak in the accent as a blonde.
"I instantly had to dye my hair, and I started to live in a way whereby anything that I looked at, anything that I touched, I started to take notice of where and when I could see money."
Eventually, she went on, because she went nowhere but her hotel room and the set, she had "some psychological difficulty."
"I was either in my hotel room, living and speaking as Reggiani, or I was on set, living and speaking as her. I remember I went out into Italy one day with a hat on to take a walk. I hadn't taken a walk in about two months and I panicked."
Jared Leto, who plays Paolo Gucci, cousin to Maurizio, said this week that he almost cried when filming ended.
Read more: Lady Gaga never wanted to meet her 'House of Gucci' character, thank you very much
"I was successful in holding (the tears) back," he added. "I didn't want to embarrass the entire set, but it was a really warm and wonderful experience — collaborative, creative, full of risk and reward, just incredibly special."
Nothing, currently, will keep Gucci from the headlines it seems - they even owned Halloween, with Harry Styles playing his Madison Square Garden concert dressed as Dorthy from The Wizard of Oz - frock by Gucci, of course.
Watch: Harry Styles helps fan come out to her mum during concert
