Gucci Visions, the new immersive exhibition at Gucci Garden, in piazza della Signoria, is a playful celebration of 102 years of creativity by the Florentine fashion house. Eight rooms encapsulate the time-travelling conversations between Guccio Gucci’s dream, his sons’ pioneering work and the ingenuity of more recent creative directors Tom Ford and Alessandro Michele.
Gucci-designed umbrellas sheltered us on arriving at Florence’s prime real estate, Palazzo della Mercanzia, during a wet Pitti Uomo week for the press preview of the reworked show space, which is open daily from 10am to 9pm. The fashion brand’s progressive spirit is in evidence throughout the upbeat and entertaining exhibit, from the kaleidoscopic room displaying red-carpet gowns worn by the likes of Lana del Rey, in which cleverly positioned mirrors enable museum goers to see themselves “in Gucci”, to a boldly futuristic shrine of the company’s finest luggage and its evolution over time. A jaw-dropping hall of mirrors celebrates beloved Bamboo 1947, Horsebit 1955 and Jackie 1961 handbags in a continuum of creative ingenuity. On the second floor, pieces from the Gucci Archive in Santo Spirito are placed alongside Tom Ford and Alessandro Michele’s more modern retakes, showing how much research and care is taken to replicate and update iconic looks. Spot the difference is the name of the game here.
The boutique retailing pieces exclusive to Gucci Garden in Florence remains a main draw for fashionistas on the ground floor, alongside the curated bookstore (a must for all editors and paper lovers!), the one Michelin-star restaurant Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura and the high-end cocktail bar Gucci Giardino 25 just across the piazza. If you’re not in Florence, the show and boutique can also be visited virtually in an exceptional experience at guccigarden.gucci.com.
