1990s fashions' comeback is good for Gucci

By Dini S. Djalal

JAKARTA (JP): A fashion moment is tricky to define, but you know it when it happens. And when, at a recent Gucci fashion show at the Grand Hyatt, a model -- hair dripping in oil, eyes dipped in kohl, gaze dropping to below zero temperature -- ambled past in five-inch stilleto heels and tuxedo pantsuit, you know fashion moments rarely get better than this.

Or so says the world's fashion editors, and the buyers who hang on their every word. After being the golfing set's preferred logo for over a decade, previously tepid Gucci is now so cool it's hot, so hot its goods fly out of the stores.

Fashion retailing may be in a slump, but Gucci's sales are skyrocketing, by about 80 percent in the last six months alone. The frenzy for Gucci is frighteningly relentless, indicating a return to materialism not seen since the mid-1980s. Last season in New York, there were 650 orders for a pin-striped suit not yet seen by its buyers -- the coveted outfit had yet to arrive from Italy. Gucci's white crepe cut-out gown were the year's most- photographed dresses, seen at every award show worth watching.

Gucci frenzy is even defying bad press. Two years ago, baron Maurizio Gucci was gunned down in Milan; two months ago, his ex- wife Patrizia was arrested for his murder. But when Gucci stock went public last year, nobody cared about the scandal and the market ate up the offering like models feeding on no-fat sushi. The famous G logo initially stood for the Gucci name. Now it stands for gold.

Selling sex

Label-obsessed Asians had always gone for Gucci glitter. But what a pleasant shock the society ladies must have had when they discovered, at the height of the Gucci revival in 1995, that their Gucci loafers were not just walking shoes, but fashion incarnate.

And what a shock it must have been for the luncheon ladies to comb through the racks, and instead of finding the oversize satin shirts they bought every season at reliable Gucci, they had to contend with shrunken and sheer slices of shirts and skirts. Tom Ford, Gucci's new 36-year-old creative director, was no longer selling safe, he was selling sex.

PT Busanagraha Rahayu, the owner of the Gucci license in Indonesia, call Ford's provocative silhouettes "directional".

"Gucci is distinctive, forward, but understated. It's not flamboyant, but it's also not classic. It's carved out a very special niche," said Alain Audet, Busanagraha Rahayu's divisional manager for fashions. But Audet reminds that the public listing is important, pressuring Ford to stay commercial.

Yet commercial is not always what the public wants, and Audet says that even Indonesia, regarded as a more conservative market, does not always behave according to the marketing surveys. Gucci's two boutiques here always include more modest dress among the sexier pieces, like this season's tube and halter tops.

"We're careful when we buy, because even though some ensembles may be image pieces, we can't sell it here," Audet says in acknowledging the country's majority Moslem population. But he says Indonesians are more fashion-forward than expected, particularly the younger clientele who buy the more risque outfits. "Indonesians keep surprising us," he said. Apparently, they bought all but one of the body-skimming white gowns with the revealing holes.

Skeptics are asking, will the hype last? After all, Ford is still selling sex in his 1997 spring/summer collection, with no radical changes. Second-skin trousers, plunging necklines, sheer knits and dominatrix heels were staples of past collections. But why alter a winning formula may be Ford's answer, especially as this cool, racy look already turns more than a few heads.

There are new twists, though calling them new is kind. It seems that underneath the homage to 1970s icon Halston, Ford is actually a 1980s man -- American peer Michael Kors is another. Ford's ideas for autumn/winter 1997 even recycled the dreaded shoulder pad. For spring, both designers showed off-the-shoulder tunics and sweaters, often with leggings or very tight miniskirts. Did Jennifer Beals help them put together this Flashdance look? Are legwarmers next?

Another slip seems to be Ford's timing. Ford calls this summer collection "for the urban aggressive woman", and pairs the glittery attire with glistening tans. The sensibility is undeniably urban, and the mood aggressive, but still the ideas are a season early. Dark brown sweaters and black tuxedo coats? Velvet gowns with knee-high snakeskin boots? Great rock'n'roll clothes, but not what you would wear on the beach.

Then again, Ford has his own answers to beachwear, and that's thongs emblazoned with the G logo. At last! The status symbol makes an appearance! But how many of the gourmet-fed nouveau riche will squeeze themselves into a G-string just to show how it's good to Gucci? Consummate marketing man Ford seems to have forgotten what current fashion is all about, which is showing off to your neighbor how many luxury brand initials you can afford.

Fortunately for Ford, aspirational yuppies go more for label- displaying accessories, like flat carry-all bags and the best- selling G-watch. "The biggest growth is in the accessories. Indonesian women love to buy the bags and the belts," says Btari Karlinda, Gucci's public relations executive.

And despite the uncertain women's collection, Ford's vision for men is blinding. This is largely thanks to a show that, compared to past performances, adheres to the Gucci image in its accessory-rich entirety. It's not revolutionary stuff, just finely-tailored three-button suits with flat-front skinny trousers and monochromatic shirt-and-tie, in snazzy low-key hues like slate-blue, parchment, copper and butter. Paired with Chelsea boots and fresh-out-of-bed spiky hair (potentially resuscitating pop icon Billy Idol from obscurity and thus completing the 1980s revival), this is, as Ford would say, urban edge at its best.