At last night’s LACMA Art+Film Gala honoring the artist Simone Leigh and the filmmaker Baz Luhrmann the red carpet was also a runway, only this red carpet was actually pistachio green. Since last year when he took over as Gucci’s creative director, Sabato De Sarno has used the annual Los Angeles event as a launch pad for his Gucci Notte evening wear, a special collection of elevated dresses and suits, examples of which could very well walk down future red carpets, considering awards season is nearly upon us. It was apropos, then, that De Sarno was thinking about old Hollywood glamour when he was designing.
On Friday afternoon, he called in from fittings with Vittoria Ceretti, Mona Tougaard, and Angelina Kendall, among other Gucci regulars. “When I think of old Hollywood, there are some names that remind me of this spirit, like Rita Hayworth in Gilda, her sensuality is always in my mind. Or, of course, the incredible costumes of Joan Crawford. And there’s another actress I really love: Lauren Bacall. I’m very fascinated with these women,” he said.
The Gucci Notte womenswear includes crepe de chine dresses draped from bamboo, not unlike those in his spring 2025 show, others with the pavé swirls of beading, as seen on that collection’s standout coat, and more with scarves trailing feathers at the end. De Sarno reported that Vittoria and co.—“they feel like stars in this, this is what they tell me.” Then he repeated a line he’s offered many times since taking the reins at the Kering-owned brand. “I love to see people wear Gucci, and not Gucci wear them.” Maybe, he continued, “I’m going to wear sneakers tomorrow. Because sneakers are something that I love, and I want to feel like myself.” In the end, De Sarno, who was joined by his husband Daniele Calisti, chose black dress shoes for his white tux and tie-less black shirt, but he was in sneakers in spirit.
