Sabato De Sarno’s Gucci collection for Men’s Fall 2024 was ultra-refined. The fifty-seven-piece collection, complete with a rich palette of browns, reds, tans, greens and blues, celebrated traditional tailoring and stealth dressing. There was a lot that felt familiar to the Women’s Spring/Summer 2023 show, especially the black box setting, the slick selection of new models and the spot-lit, lasered lighting. Again, De Sarno asked us to really look at the clothes: there were no overt fantasies or folktales; this was about luxurious, dynamic and resolute designs.

The standout pieces included tailored floor-length overcoats, each slit with a back vent extending the moels’ shoulder blades; cashmere and woollen cardigans; cropped bomber-style jackets; boxy blazers; red and green leather gloves; and studded shirt collars. The pieces felt relaxed, unfussy and timeless. It seems we are officially in the new era of Gucci.

In De Sarno’s inaugural collection last year, it became apparent that he had decided to leave behind the Maximalist fever dream that Alessandro Michele imbued Gucci with. It was obvious that the Italian designer wanted to take a defiant step away from Gucci’s supercharged camp insouciance and steer the legacy brand towards pragmatic luxury.

Still, De Sarno still has its eyes peeled on ‘camp’ details, with accessories elevated and redefined. In this collection, chokers cinched the models’ necklines, while long skinny ties complemented wide jackets and low-cut jewelled vests were paired with straight-leg pants. At times, the collection felt like a sensual and poetic rumination of masculinity, made more apparent by the Mark Ronson-produced soundtrack, which culminated in Lucky Love’s song ‘Masculinity’.

De Sarno continued his exploration of leather goods and shoes: rucksacks had keychains and laptop pockets; the brothel creepers were rendered with a subtle rounded toe; and the Jackie Bag was revised with an oversized silhouette and extra-long adjustable straps.

The collection was also imbued with a blasé intellectual focus, evoking an image of Samuel Becket from the 1970s slinging a Gucci bag around Italy. This felt like luxury for real life, designed by a technician who really cares about making clothes. As he shares himself, “I’m not a person that loves the idea of fashion. I really love fashion. I love to design pieces. I love to choose materials. I love to work with fabrics. I love to work with our customers and find solutions. I am a working creative director.”

Here, De Sarno extended his confidence and defiant stance on luxury. He officially reinaugurated Gucci as Italy’s golden child.