A new name, Frida Giannini, replaced Tom Ford’s protégé Alessandra Fachinetti as Gucci’s director of design. Frida’s former boss, Alessandra, was trained under Ford, who had famously resuscitated the then stagnant Italian label with his signature brand of sultry-sexy-cool. Hence, it came as no surprise when Alessandra’s mildly-satisfactory, positively anti-climactic collections borrowed heavily from the gifted Texan’s erotic fashions. Following Ms. Fahinetti’s fall 2005 show Fashionlines had prophesized; “As Alessandra’s artistic vision is obviously convoluted by her apprenticeship Robert Polet needs to recruit a Young Turk, who can exorcise the past and breathe fresh air into the brand.” Well, that person seems to have arrived.

Frida Gianni’s is no stranger to the Gucci label. In fact, it was Frida’s wildly successful floral-print accessory line, produced under Fachinetti’s leadership that won her the lead role in the company. The exuberant print which facilitated Ms. Giannini’s coup was lifted off a silk scarf made for Grace Kelly. As evidenced by the consumers’ draw to the vibrant colors and patterns of her shoes and bags, the young designer recognized the need for a shift away from Gucci’s traditional dark, sexy, monochromatic ensembles. This logic explains the designer’s colorful neck tie blouses sprayed with flowers, youthful striped rugby shirts and light hearted silk chiffon print dresses.

Indeed, the spring lineup features Gucci staples like sharply cut and rigorously constructed pant-suits (with exaggerated shoulders), crock skin jackets, and key-hole tops, but this time, in addition to safe solids, bright hues have seeped through the seems of the collection.

Frida’s work is no way near ground breaking, but it surely holds promise.

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