Capítulo 295: Chapter 295: Kung Fu behind the scenes
September 23rd.
The second day of Milan Fashion Week had just passed nine o'clock in the morning, and people were beginning to gather in an abandoned factory in the Flani district on the western outskirts of Milan.
Gucci's Spring/Summer 1990 fashion show was set to begin at ten o'clock.
Three months ago, since choosing this abandoned factory on Mesterna Avenue in the eastern suburbs of the Flani district, Gucci's team had started renovating the factory to be used for this major show. By the time Fashion Week started, even the Mesterna Avenue outside the factory was filled with Gucci brand posters, and every detail inside the factory, such as lighting, seating, and the runway, was pursued to perfection.
Ultimately, this show was just a grand marketing campaign for the Gucci brand, aimed at reshaping the luxury brand's high-end image after years of decline. Therefore, the clothes shown were of secondary importance, as a dedicated designer could hardly design a failure.
The focus of the show was behind the scenes.
To ensure maximum exposure for the show, and positively at that, Gucci's marketing team had been working on media relations for months, and Daenerys Entertainment provided all possible assistance to Gucci.
Therefore, before the show began, many top fashion magazines had already been booked by Gucci, and CNN, MTV, as well as television stations in Europe, Australia, and Asia were invited to report on the show. Gucci also specially invited stars from different countries and regions to appear on camera. Valeria Golino, who became famous in Italy for her roles in "Rain Man" and "Batman," would handle the local media, while Madonna, Geena Davis, and other Hollywood stars would appear on CNN and MTV. Natasha Kinsky was to be interviewed by a French television station, among others.
In terms of models, despite the pressure from competing brands like Dior and Chanel, some of the most famous models of recent years, such as Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista, were absent.
However, the model lineup was still strong, with Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni, Paulina Porizkova, Stephanie Seymour, and Helena Christensen ensuring the runway's star quality was more than sufficient.
Additionally, a documentary about the Gucci show was being produced.
After the show, this documentary was expected to hit North American theaters in November and would also be released in Europe and Asia.
Like the "Gucci Night" at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Simon played the role of a mascot for this show.
However, Simon had planned to take a break after completing "Batman," so this was not a rush. Moreover, it also allowed Janet to legitimately break free from the constraints of Cersei Capital. Therefore, after the show, although Simon still had many matters to handle, he did not need to leave in a hurry like last time.
After partying late into the night at a club in the city, everyone got up early today.
After having breakfast together on the shores of Lake Como and arriving in the eastern suburbs of Milan, it was not yet eight o'clock, and everyone then dived into the day's busy schedule. The rehearsal indicated the runway show was expected to last only 15 minutes, but various work schedules might keep everyone busy for a full two to three days.
As the saying goes, the real work is done behind the scenes.
"Hi, Maggie... Yeah, Janet and I are all Gucci today. To avoid having to wear only this brand in the future, I'm considering acquiring some other luxury brands... Owe you a backing track? Of course, I haven't forgotten."
...
"Gina, and Jeff, glad you could make it... Since it's a baseball movie, you have to undergo some training. After 'A League of Their Own,' I promise you'll advance to an action movie star... Okay, what did I just say?"
...
"Lily, you look stunning today... Italian? No problem, but I still prefer your English with an accent."
...
"Hello, Ms. Wintour... Thank you, I also think the show's setup is fantastic, but that's all thanks to Ford and his team, I hardly did anything."
...
As the show was about to start, after finishing their media wall photos, the guests temporarily gathered in the waiting area to chat.
Sofia and Tom Ford were nervously making final preparations, while Simon and Janet took on the host duties, mingling with the crowd to exchange pleasantries.
After circulating among the guests, Janet suddenly leaned in and whispered to Simon, "Why didn't Sandra come this time?"
"She's shooting a new movie and couldn't make time," Simon replied with a smile, kissing the woman's cheek as she leaned in. "Were you hoping Sandy would come?"
Simon had explained the situation when Sandra called him a few days ago in Los Angeles. To broaden her acting range, Sandra had taken a musical film with Columbia Pictures.
Since the annual box office champion "Grease" in 1978, musical films had always been an important genre in Hollywood, with many successful works.
Although Simon hadn't heard of the musical named "Footloose," he didn't discourage Sandra. With several hit movies and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress under her belt, Sandra's status was secure, and a failure or two wouldn't matter.
Of course, there was no need to explain these details to Janet.
Upon hearing Simon's response, Janet pouted, "It's better if she never shows up in front of me."
While they were chatting, a voluptuous Latina woman approached them. Simon recognized her as Sabrina Ferilli, whom he had met during their trip to Florence, and greeted her with a smile, "Hi, Sabrina, how did you get here?"
Sabrina Ferilli, a bit surprised to be remembered, replied, "Simon, I didn't expect you to remember me. Ms. Fieschi gave me the invitation. Oh, is this your girlfriend?"
"Yes, Janet Johnston, Janet, this is Sabrina Ferilli."
After exchanging a few words, Sabrina Ferilli mentioned her recent role in Giuseppe Tornatore's new film "The Journey of Our Lives," playing one of the male protagonist's children. She didn't hide the fact that Sofia had helped her secure the role.
Following "Cinema Paradiso's" win at Cannes in place of "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," Giuseppe Tornatore quickly rose to the top tier of Italian directors. Despite "Cinema Paradiso's" failure in North America, Daenerys Entertainment became one of the producers of Tornatore's new film "The Journey of Our Lives," with a budget of 3 million euros, considered high in Europe. Highgate Films invested 1 million dollars for the North American rights to the film.
Due to "Cinema Paradiso's" North American failure and Daenerys Entertainment's growing fame, Highgate Films had significant influence over the production.
Gucci was collaborating with Highgate Films on the Gucci documentary, naturally keeping Sofia in touch with Doyman. Since they were all in Italy, helping Sabrina Ferilli secure a role in "The Journey of Our Lives" was not difficult. Simon had read the script, and one of the male protagonist's children being a model fit Sabrina Ferilli perfectly.
It was unclear why Sofia wanted to help her, as their brief interaction didn't seem to warrant such closeness.
As ten o'clock approached, the guests began to take their seats.
Despite the large number of guests, the core of the runway show remained the new Gucci clothing on the models. Therefore, the lighting in the show was mainly focused on the runway.
However, to accommodate the filming of the documentary, the media reporters were not crammed at the front of the guest seats near the runway, as was common in other shows of the era. Instead, they were separated from the guest area by extending the runway.
Simon and Janet did not plan to appear extensively in the "Gucci Documentary," so they specifically requested a less conspicuous location, and they were in the second row. The front row was mostly reserved for various fashion celebrities and film stars, who were highlighted by the lighting and cameras.
At ten o'clock, the lights in the show dimmed, and the introductory music began.
Sofia, looking exhausted, walked out from backstage and took the seat next to Simon, vacated by Jennifer, who had moved to give her place right next to Simon.
The spotlight converged on the runway entrance, and Cindy Crawford, dressed in a white gown, made her entrance. The round neckline, sleeveless, backless, waist-cinched dress with a knee-length skirt and distinct Gucci accessory style immediately caught everyone's eye.
Frankly, Simon found most of the fashion styles of the era hard to embrace, especially the broad-shouldered suits for working women.
With Simon's resistance, the women around him rarely wore such suits.
The fashion design style of this show, because Sofia often discussed it with Simon through calls and faxes, inadvertently included some of his design ideas. It seemed Tom Ford had indeed incorporated many of Simon's suggestions, especially in adding Gucci brand elements to the designs and enhancing the complexity of the fashion styles, as this could effectively prevent imitation.
The problem of luxury brand counterfeiting was a constant headache for companies.
Moreover, the suggestion to divide the show into several sub-themes based on the color tones of the outfits was implemented, avoiding the abrupt transition from black and white to bright reds and greens.
It turns out, Simon had done quite a bit of preparation in communicating with the Gucci team, having watched videos of other major luxury brand shows from recent years more than once.
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