GUCCI Turns 85

Photos: Giuseppe Cacace

During Milan fashion week Gucci CEO Mark Lee and creative director Frida Giannini hosted a bash to celebrate the Italian luxury goods house’s 85th anniversary. The event featured a live 40-minute performance by John Legend. A similar appreciation for fine details was evident in Gucci’s approach to this memorable event. Walls of topiary, along with a nearly transparent frame, flanked the entrance to the palazzo where the party was held. As guests made their way past a life-size “Gucci by Gucci" logo, they were greeted by large projection screens that rotated images of the company’s most iconic and legendary moments. Gucci also introduced a touch computer-screen that showcased the pages of its new Gucci by Gucci anniversary coffee table book. While sleek, mirrored bars skillfully kept all drink paraphernalia out of sight, wait staff outfitted in turtleneck sweaters and black slacks served champagne to guests, which included François-Henri Pinault Jr., Robert Polet and his wife, Camilla Belle, Hal Rubenstein, Anne Christensen and Stefano Tonchi, Suzy Menkes, Virginie Mouzat, Neiman Marcus’ Karen Katz, Isabel Dupré, Hidetoshi Nakata, and two powerhouse CEOs who don’t usually make a habit of staying at parties until the midnight hour: Bergdorf Goodman’s Jim Gold and Neiman Marcus’ Burt Tansky.