Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1516204
horsebit loafers; and tailoring with pre-sculpted creases on the sleeves and at the waist. However, world-building generally takes time. This is another big talking point in fashion: Critics and watchdogs keep saying that the above-mentioned corporations need to give designers more time, more space, and more of a long leash to develop their oeuvres. To carve out their visions. It doesn't happen in one or two collections. It might not even happen in ten collections. Without a doubt, De Sarno will be able to do so if given the space needed to achieve it. You can see it taking shape already, and his fashion accolades run deep; he, by all accounts, is a true designer's designer. The Campania, Italy–born creative star ted his career at Prada, moved to Dolce & Gabbana, and most recently (and for the past decade- plus) has worked for Valentino. There, he rose as high as fashion direc- tor, overseeing both women's and men's ready-to-wear collections. Valentino has enjoyed enormous success over the last 10 years–and when you think about it, the brand is super-wearable yet distinct. In turn, De Sarno has been tasked with reviving Gucci's allure. Again, it circles back to: How can you actually be creative while maintaining enough relatability to generate big money? De Sarno, with his lifelong resumé in Italian luxury fashion, appears to be someone who can do both. De Sarno has enjoyed some celebrit y at tention, too, with his new designs. At the Golden Globe Awards in January, Taylor Swift wore a Gucci skinny-strapped floor-leng th column dress, embroidered with thousands of lime-green sequins. It wasn't subtle, but the cut of the dress itself wasn't overly complicated. And it was g iven a dash of sexiness w it h cutout s t hat ex tended br iefly below t he a r ms. Sk in seems to be impor tant to De Sarno, but rendered in a way that isn't too on-the-nose. At the same show, Ryan Gosling wore a Gucci "pajama" suit– clean, simple, a lit tle odd, a lit tle suggestive. See the pat tern? There's one more talking point that's been percolating in the conver- sation, and which De Sarno seems to be considering: Longevit y in clothes. In wardrobe permanence as opposed to ephemeral, Insta-ready one-o—s. Michele, as imaginative as he was, created showstoppers– pieces that wowed but didn't necessarily weather the test of time. To do so, collectively, the impression needs to be more versatile and perhaps less date-stamped. This doesn't mean a design has to be plain. But it does require a certain dynamism; what can a designer imbue in their work in order to make something wearable over and over again? In De Sarno's case, g reat floor-sweeping trench coats, fuss-free cardigans, and cylindrical duše bags embossed with Gucci's unmis- takable typeface are his current winners. They feel timeless. They feel like you'll be able to put them on again in thirty years and that they'll give o— the same chic assuredness. And they feel special, De Sarno's confidence, sensuality, and intellect imbued in the threads and across the proportions. If he continues to tap into this sweet spot–and takes his time–Gucci has another hit on their hands. the sleeves Gucci skinny-strapped horsebit loafers; and tailoring Looks from the men's and women's S/S 24 collections BAL HARBOUR 205