Under Alessandro Michele’s leadership, Gucci’s aesthetic has been transformed into one of abundance. In just a few short seasons, he’s rendered a remarkably vivid world in which embellishments and details are layered one on top of another, creating a depth of both texture and thought that has found immense appeal with both fashion tastemakers and shoppers around the globe. Michele continues this nascent tradition with Gucci Cruise 2017, which takes many of its aesthetic cues from animals.
Gucci is perhaps more well-known for incorporating elements of the natural world into high-end luxury than any other fashion brand; from the iconic Gucci Bamboo handles to the house’s signature floral prints, the brand’s aesthetic ideals have long gone far beyond the glossy cities where its wares are most often purchased and worn. For Cruise 2017, Michele expands on those ideas, adorning the collection’s bags with everything from bees to Bengal tigers.
We teamed up with Gucci to explore the animals in the brand’s Cruise 2017 collection, which is in stores now. Check out our exclusive photos of each of the animals below, along with other exquisitely details pieces from the collection, and shop the full selection now at Gucci.com.
Bees
The bee is the animal most often associated with Gucci’s accessories details over the years, and for Cruise 2017 it makes a stunning handbag adornment for the Gucci Broadway Leather Clutch when rendered in pearl studs, red crystals and blue enamel over a distressed brass base. The bag itself is simple enough to let the bee detailing take center-stage, but the allover pearls studs and tricolor Sylvie web strap continue Michele’s tradition of intricacy. Buy through Gucci for $2,980.
Birds
Birds and their extravagant, colorful plumage make a natural source of visual inspiration for Gucci. This season, Alessandro Michele has combined elegant avian embroideries with the brand’s classic, casual Gucci GG Supreme monogram fabric in the Gucci GG Supreme Top Handle Bag, which helps balance the formal feel of embroidery to create a bag that is as wearable as it is detailed. Buy through Gucci for $1,980.
Snakes
King snakes have been a visual element of Alessandro Michele’s Gucci collections from the very beginning, and the Gucci Snake Print Top Handle Bag puts one from and center in a painting-style print over durable textured leather. The snake’s colors echo that of the red, white and blue Sylvie web strap, which is a take on Gucci’s traditional webbing introduced by Michele. The unique, eye-catching snake print also juxtaposes well with the bag’s simple, traditional structure. Buy through Gucci for $1,750.
Bengal Tigers
Since his very first collection at the helm of the brand, layering prints over Gucci’s traditional monogram fabric has been a staple of Michele’s sophisticated, complex aesthetic. The layers provide aesthetic depth to everyday bags, and since they change by the season, they’re a hallmark of the constant variation that feeds Gucci’s enormous popularity. For Cruise 2017, Gucci offers an array of bags and accessories in this new Bengal print, and this little Gucci Padlock Bengal Bag is among our favorites. Its size makes it subtle, but the stylized tigers make a big impact. Buy through Gucci for $1,690.