For Gucci Cruise 2025, Sabato De Sarno Does “Englishness With an Italian Accent"

Inside London’s Tate Modern with its iconic spiral of concrete stairs, models from Gucci’s Cruise 2025 show ascended toward guests wearing a collection anchored in the duality and practicality of romanticism. Think: geek chic glasses, simple cape coats, pussy bow blouses in sheer rippling textures, suede shift dresses and big matching bags. Almost all of the models wore strands of pearls (with a supersized lobster clasp!) and everyone wore flat shoes–either simple ballet flats topped with the house’s signature Horsebit or creeper loafers —also with the Horsebit but paired with little socks.

The presentation marked the debut of the first pre-season collection from Gucci creative director Sabato De Sarno who opened the show notes with “We’ll always have London.” For the occasion, he was inspired by his own memories and interpretations of the city as well as Gucci’s auspicious beginnings there: It was during his time working as a porter at London’s The Savoy hotel that house founder Guccio Gucci was inspired to create his own luggage and leather company upon his return to Florence, Italy.

Baggy jeans affirmed the lasting power of big silhouettes in fashion, while white sheer textural dresses with long, messy hair represented an overwhelming boho-coded message. If De Sarno’s previous two collections swayed more toward wearability, there were several pieces here that put meticulous maximalist handcraft on full display. Embellished pieces with beading that looked like glass and swayed like magic were breathtaking. An oversized jacket and matching skirt in the same material had that rare sort of chandelier sway with cinematic pull. Denim jackets were styled over beaded dresses, while daisy-beaded denim was there for all the over-the-top magpies. These were the pieces that portrayed a sense of drama and left us wanting more.

Elsewhere, there were plenty of wearable pieces that De Sarno is honing in on as the next era of Gucci house codes. Hidden within the bevy of looks, there were unstated references of school uniforms, the ’90s minimalist muse, the corporate siren and the sporty style set. A few asymmetrical backless dresses recalled Tom Ford’s iconic fall 1996 collection for Gucci, with its chic cut-out dresses and minimal-driven aesthetic. Bags were big: the brand brought back its rounded Gucci Blondie bags from the 1970s (perhaps rather uncoincidentally, Blondie’s Heart of Glass played and Debbie Harry was front row), as well as the massive B bag, worn slung over the shoulder and first seen in Gucci archival sketches as early as the 1950s.

Gucci’s new signature under De Sarno might just be those very particular, boxy leather coats that have a very specific stylized look. Little gray skirt suits, oversized white coats, pants with built-in liquid fringe, and tight little pinafores in gray and palest pink spoke to the utilitarian practicality of the collection. Taking things a step further, De Sarno integrated a bit of London style into the collection. Tartans! Tailoring! “Englishness with an Italian accent,” according to the show notes. And that aforementioned beaded fringe? A reinterpretation of plaid. Heavy technical gabardine meshed with 3D laser cut organza to further emphasize the study of contrasts. The Tate Modern Museum location symbolized a collision of cultures and an exchange of ideas.

The show closed with sheer skirts and their matching tops in black and pink, undone blouses with trills of chiffon bows tied at the neck, floral matching skirts and coats and leathers mixed with sheer organzas and the deepest of deep V-neck cuts. Those–along with the backless flowing pleated gowns, are guaranteed to ascend on red carpets throughout the next few months. Brands seem to be leaning into bohemianism and romance lately, and when it came to craft, Gucci delivered on the fantasy that fashion’s been craving lately.