Gucci’s Spring/Summer 16 runway show took place at an unused train depot yesterday, kicking off Milan Fashion Week. On the runway, there was plenty of lurex, prints, sequins, brocade, florals, chiffon, flouncy ruffles, Oriental influences, and trompe l’oeil motifs, all of which had a distinct vintage feel paired in such a way that felt like it could’ve come from Susie Bubble’s closet. While Giannini certainly plays a lot with the blurring the boundaries between masculinity and femininity, Michele takes the approach of vintage quirkiness that is a rather fresh take on the Italian brand, in comparison to the sex appeal of Tom Ford. But, instead of totally recreating the Gucci image, the brand’s heritage and DNA remain unmistakable, and this Spring, it’s that of the grosgrain striped Rasta ribbon motif, often seen in Red and Green.

Michele’s fusion of the old and the new is also evident in almost all of the bags that we saw coming down the runway. The Dionysus from this Fall/Winter season has been injected with an iconic Gucci element,  thanks to the Bamboo top handle that comes with the canvas Rasta motif shoulder strap, while the very same striped grosgrain ribbon became part of a shoulder strap with another rectangular structured shoulder bag with the horsebit buckle clasp.

As with the embroidered patches reminiscent of iron-on patches that we currently see in stores this Fall/Winter 15 season (remember the Bumble bee on the Dionysus?), Michele continues in this spirit for SS16, but this time around, they are of patches of flowers, birds, lightning bolts, ribbons, and snakes, both with and without sequins.

Oriental-themed motif overnighter

And then there are also the new shapes, but mostly sturdy structured bags, with accordion sides, – a rectangular shoulder bag and another exuding more of an old world charm with what appears to be an older version of the GG Gucci logo in brushed gold, that was resurrected from the archives.

In sum, the SS16 collection by Michele was a perfect marriage between the modern and the iconic that’s consistently peppered with the quirky and whimsical.

If you haven’t watched the SS16 runway show, watch it in FULL via the on-demand video service here

All images via Vogue Runway