The lights went up, the sliding doors opened, and GCDS rang in their Fall 2019 collection in Milan with a glittering golden leotard with an asymmetrical, puffy sleeve and houndstooth tights. The hair was big, and the brand wasn’t taking any liberties with branding; the GCDS logo was everywhere. It was copiously displayed in the form of a belt buckle, a hair clip, and emblazoned all over furry gloves and scarves and a fuzzy robe and basically every accessory you could imagine.

Starting the show with rich, caramel browns and pinks, there was a retro gangster vibe that was only driven further by bangle bracelets decorated in dollar signs. Designer Giuliano Calza is never afraid of campiness, which was evident in certain pieces like a purple furry stole in the shape of a snake, topped off with a tongue fashioned out of costume pearls and even a Donald Duck shearling men’s jacket.

A shiny, pink, two-piece double breasted cropped jacket and skirt in a wood grain pattern with bright gold buttons was an emblematic piece at the beginning of the show, ushering in uber-feminine silhouettes paired with an actual collaboration with Polly Pocket on some flashy boots, and towering pink hair. There was even an iconic red and pink jacket that read “Girls Desire Sex” on the back.

Halfway through, the music changed, and the “Flowers Blossom From the Darkness”. The initial black, white, and red color palette made things a bit Beetlejuice–y, especially with a dramatic, blood stained minidress, some latex bodysuits, and even a prosthetic spine poking through on one model’s back.

In a press release, GCDS summed it all up: “In this perpetual game of mystery, the youthfulness vanishes under the stress of social norms, and transmutes into demonic lenses to look through, in order to discover the beauty that blossoms out of the cracks.”