GCDS RTW Fall 2019

Giuliano Calza has just bought a palazzo. “For the first time in my life, I actually own something,” said the 30-year-old designer, speaking about the new GCDS headquarters. In keeping with the new digs, a rotating setting of a decadent palazzo served as the backdrop for the fall 2019 collection, which was divided in two parts.

The first part, according to the designer, was “very GCDS — pink, gold, sexy and cute.” Female models walked out of the front hall of the palazzo wearing off-the-shoulder bodysuits, bright cropped mohair sweaters and puff-shoulder shirts; the guys in luxe silk pajamas, logo-printed sweats and Nineties denim. Faux fur jackets came in a range of colors, including a beige belted coat with the GCDS logo sprawled all over it. The girls sported colored wigs, and some of them walked in pastel boots created in collaboration with Polly Pocket. Others wore lady-of-the-manor feather-lined mules or leather moccasins with a rhinestone logo.

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The second part showed a darker side of the brand. “Young people like me are trapped by our fears,” said the designer, who wanted to express how destructive the pressure of social norms can be for younger generations. Unfortunately, it was done in a cartoon-like way: the palazzo princess swapped her pink attire for dresses printed with bloodstains, purple vinyl coats, skin-tight bodysuits and a rhinestone cobweb worn over a bikini. Minidresses seemed spray-painted onto the models’ bodies.

The men’s looks were more toned-down: jazzed-up tracksuits and pinstriped tailoring with fluo accents. The mood was confident and punchy, echoing the brand’s rapid expansion. Next up for Calza are store openings in London and Hong Kong, as well as the second drop of the brand’s makeup line.

Launch Gallery: GCDS RTW Fall 2019

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