There is a long tradition in fashion of designers choosing locations that say something the clothes alone cannot. For Gucci Cruise 2027, creative director Demna chose Times Square, the most oversaturated, commercially obliterated piece of real estate in the Western hemisphere.

Before the models walked, Times Square’s screens were running fake advertisements for imaginary Gucci extensions like Gucci Gym, Gucci Automobili, Gucci Pets, and Palazzo Gucci. The joke, if it was one, landed somewhere between parody and a marketing deck. Gucci as a total lifestyle, an aesthetic identity, the kind of brand that doesn’t just dress people but theoretically furnishes every corner of existence.

Courtesy of Gucci

The color story is perhaps the most telling decision of the entire show. This is Gucci, a house historically associated with clashing prints and jewel tones and excess layered unapologetically on more excess. Shearling anchored the outerwear, oversized and plush, pinstripe wool carried the suiting, and croc-scale sequins and feather embroidery worked into the embellished silhouettes.

Demna has always built characters rather than looks, and here they were, every New York archetype sharing the same pavement. Walking among them was Paris Hilton, the original it girl and Y2K cultural phenomenon. Cindy Crawford, one of the most iconic supermodels of the 90s. Mariacarla Boscono, the Italian model who has defined European luxury fashion for two decades, and bombshell Candice Swanepoel, the Victoria’s Secret icon. Emily Ratajkowski, model and actress. Tom Brady, the most decorated quarterback in NFL history. Alex Consani, Anok Yai, and Amelia Gray Hamlin, three of the most visible faces of the new generation of supermodels.

Courtesy of Gucci