How is Gucci's New Creative Director Freshening Up the Iconic Label?

Alessandro Michele backstage before his debut Fall/Winter 2015–16 runway collection.

Although he was only appointed creative director of Gucci earlier this year, Alessandro Michele is anything but a newcomer to the iconic luxury label. Working as part of the brand’s design team since 2002, Michele has an inherent understanding of Gucci’s delicate, covetable balance of heritage details, modern tailoring, opulent materials, and a healthy dose of self-assured sex appeal. For his first collection, Michele created pieces with a vintage feel—flowy ’70s-inspired flower patterned dresses, silk blouses tied at the neck with an unstructured, slender bow—but a sensibility that’s undeniably modern. Also included is a range of standout coats and neat trouser suits that are practical (particularly as extra-chic office wear) and ever-so-slightly androgynous without being excessively structured or serious. “I wanted to interpret an attitude, not a silhouette, through a perspective that blurs the masculine/feminine divide and champions the youthful energy and natural confidence of today’s urbanites,” Michele explains. That natural confidence applies to the collection’s accessories as well, with fabulously Rat Pack–inspired black flat loafers, sturdy thick belts, and boxy handbags with a hint of a Royal Tenenbaums–meets–Bianca Jagger vibe. Most are punctuated with exactly what you’d expect from this distinctive brand: bold trademark hardware, like chunky horse bits and oversize metal G’s, that looks as fresh now as its has for decades. The Forum Shops at Caesars, 702-369-7333; Via Bellagio, 702-732-9300; The Shops at Crystals, 702-730-1946