The real standout stars of Ridley Scott's new high fashion epic, House of Gucci, are - somewhat unsurprisingly - the clothes. The fashion world has been chomping at the (Gucci horse) bit to check out Lady Gaga and Adam Driver's wardrobe, and they do not disappoint. Highlights include Gaga's multiple turns in cleavage-baring Saint Laurent skirt suits to Driver's cable-knit apres ski jumper that broke the internet when it was released to the world in a promo shot. Even side characters have caused a stir - Jared Leto's elephant cord Norfolk two pieces in candied shades of magenta and cobalt was an instant hit with lovers of vintage and loud. The woman behind the magic is celebrated costume designer Janty Yates, of Gladiator, American Gangster, and The Martian fame. Here I narrow down my favourite looks from the movie to my top 12 - no mean feat considering Lady Gaga alone had approximately 65 costume changes - and both she and her on screen husband insisted on 'no repeats.' In no particular order:
1| Paolo Gucci's Blue Check Suit
Yates told GQ magazine “We had the Atollini Brothers make something like 12 suits and jackets for Jared Leto, who plays Paolo Gucci in the film. They were all very, in their words ‘dandy dandy’. The Atollini Brothers made all the suits for Paolo Sorrentino's 2013 film The Great Beauty, which is one of the most wonderfully tailored films I’ve ever seen. The problem was, we had to wait for the suits, because the brothers handmake everything in Naples, so I asked Costume del Arte to make a couple in the interim, which Jared could wear early on. I asked them for a pink elephant cord Norfolk jacket, which he ended up wearing quite prominently! So it's actually a suit of my design, I'm afraid to say!”
“We went very over the top with Jared's wardrobe. His character Paolo was one of the worst dressed men I’d ever googled, he’d wear silver lurex shirts under his tuxedo! The looks are really appalling, the Atollini Crothers told me that he is ‘the dandy’s dandy’, so we went for horizontal stripes, stripes, big blooming ties, and massive checks. The blue check suit when he gives his fashion show is a good example of how over-the-top we went.”
2) Black and White, Patrizia and Maurzio Hit the Slopes
“This was the first photo released from our shoot, and the response was extraordinary. The Arran sweater has its own website and Instagram! People dressed up like this photo for Halloween! It’s quite amazing. We had 10 different sweaters, and we tried them all on Adam Driver, who plays Maurizo Gucci. This particular one fit him best. We never intended to have it on show that much, but when he was entertaining friends, Ridley liked the idea of the suit being wrapped around his waist and the jumper being visible.
"Ridley said he also wanted both Maurizio and Paola Franchi (the woman Maurizio eventually leaves Patrizia for) to be wearing white when they run into each other on the slopes. The idea was that they would see each other and say ‘oh you’re wearing white too!’ - kind of like an ice breaker. Then Patrizia comes bowling along in red. it just makes me laugh the way she walk in her boots, she’s just fabulous, very funny. Lady Gaga, who plays Patrizia, is also wearing a black Gucci jacket with gold buttons in this picture.”
Here, Gaga is pictured in an iconic all-black look, which isn't too far off from fashion's contemporary style. However, the ridiculous amount of jewels and fur Cossack mink hat show Patrizia wasn't on the slopes to ski. The all black further suggests Gaga's character was perhaps already thinking evil thoughts.
3) Patrizia's Jewellery is a Character of It's Own.
 |
Even before she marries into the upper echelons of Italian society, she pairs almost every single outfit with over-the-top earrings and a statement necklace. Given that her family isn’t rich, we can assume that the first few times we see her all glammed up she is wearing cheap costume jewelry—but once she’s got Gucci’s family money in her pockets, it’s safe to say the gem-encrusted chokers, diamond earrings and gold chains are all real. Or, at the very least, really expensive.
One could argue her maximalist accessorising was simply the norm for women of the era, but it appears that Patrizia wore her jewelelry as armour. “She [Patrizia] wore a huge amount of jewellery and LG was up for that. She'd always put on two necklaces when one wasn't enough, she'd wear four bangles, and the biggest earrings she could find,” In fact, I only remember seeing her without earrings in two scenes in the film: When she briefly mourns Maurizio’s death alone, she is without her earrings. When she is back in her element just a scene later, reclaiming her home and kicking out his lover, the earrings are back on.
The second and final time we see her with no earrings, Patrizia is at her court hearing, where she receives a 26-year prison sentence. In this scene, she is not in control, and her lack of accessories illustrates as much. Had she shown up to court with her biggest pearls or glitziest studs on, one might’ve thought she’d get away with her crime.
4) Patrizia's Blue Sequin Halterneck She Wears to Go Dancing at Studio 54
One of my favourite looks didn't make it to the actual final cut, but I'm going to mention it anyway. Patrizia piled on the accessories and sequins to go dancing with Al Pacino's 'Aldo' character at Studio 54. Known as an iconic Manhattan hotspot where only the best-dressed could get in, Patrizia held her own with the city slickers courtesy of a sequined turquoise halter number and a ton of Bulgari gold necklaces, chunky bracelets, dangling earrings and glitzy make up to match. It's in the trailer, but alas cut from the film. Perhaps Ridley Scott will do a director's cut and we can see it in all its glory.
5) In Red as Elizabeth Taylor at a Costume Party
Can it get more meta than Lady Gaga in costume as Patrizia Reggiani, in costume as Elizabeth Taylor? This red dress was seriously va va room, and all the better when accessorised with Patrizia’s diamond and gem-encrusted necklace and matching earrings. The black gloves really set off the look - and were part of Patrizia's original ensemble. When she approached Maurizio, he was bowled over. The dress was inspired by a late 70s Yves Saint Laurent piece that Reggiani wore to another party. The actual dress was bubblegum pink, which Yates switched to a blood red, hinting at what was to come and yet again using colour as a storytelling device.
6) In Her Wedding Gown
Patrizia Gucci’s 1973 wedding gown was quite a bit more modest than then iteration Gaga wears in the film. Throughout the movie, both Reggiani's and Gucci’s outfits have been nearly identical to the ones donned by the couple in the ’80s and ’90s. But on their wedding day, that pattern changes. For her original wedding dress, Reggiani opted for a more conservative, less-decorated gown, comprised of a high-neck, a low hem, and a tapered waist. Whereas here, Gaga can still be seen wearing a white lace dress with a high-low hem and a sweetheart neckline. Conversely, Driver remained consistent with Mr. Gucci’s original getup, wearing a pair of pinstripe trousers and a tailcoat blazer for a dapper look.
Still, the slightly more dramatic take did some storytelling for the viewers, in that it showcased just how far Patrizia was from fitting in with the Guccis in terms of taste.
7) In White Lace at a Birthday Party
Patrizia is from a family of modest means far outside the Gucci sphere, so her ensemble at Aldo Gucci's (portrayed by Al Pacino) Lake Como birthday party is striving for their approval. The “gorgeous fitting” white lace dress and bolero are based on an iconic image of Lollobrigida and it was kismet when Yates’ buyer “happened to find more or less the exact lace” of the original La Lollo look.
According to Yates, Lady Gaga drew inspiration from even closer to home, suggesting she wanted to dress like her mother. 'It was wonderful because, obviously, her mother didn't wear [wacky] dresses, and her mother is 100 percent Italian.”
Patrizia chooses demure white to meet the family in a clear bid to impress them but also to show her intentions are pure. She's presenting herself as a good Italian girl - the perfect wife and hinting at the wedding to come.
A famous '50s image of La Lollo also directly inspired the white lace strapless dress and bolero set (above) that Patrizia wears to uncle Aldo's 70th birthday party at his Lake Como house — "a '60s sort of mood, but in a late '70s design," says Yates about her interpretation of Lollobrigida's ensemble. Costume cutter Dominic Young built the look and painstakingly hand-applied each piece of lace to complete the near-3D design that jumps off the screen.
