Gucci's Night Out

Fashion news

Gucci Museo in Florence

Fashion and film stars celebrate the launch of Florence's newest museum Gucci creative director Frida Giannini says that architecture is her "second passion"—the first being fashion, of course. Last September, these two enthusiasms were united with the opening of the Gucci Museo in Florence, the birthplace of the brand. The Gucci Museo in Florence is devoted to the company's 90-year history; Gucci's sumptuous leather goods and evening wear are displayed alongside work by such contemporary artists as Bill Viola. An inaugural bash brought stars of fashion, film, and music together for a night of dining and dancing.

The Gucci evening began with a tour of the three-story Gucci museum, which is housed in a 14th-century building in Florence. (The highlight of the collection might be the 1979 Cadillac Seville with a twin-G logo, which Gucci archivists discovered in Florida.) Actors Abbie Cornish, Max Irons, and Gemma Arterton, executives Francois-Henri Pinault and Lapo Elkann, journalist (and daughter of Princess Caroline) Charlotte Casiraghi, and other guests of Gucci night out were then ushered to a cocktail reception in the courtyard of the adjacent Palazzo Vecchio, which had been filled with blossoming olive trees.

After dinner, Giannini introduced a live performance by the group Blondie. "I used them for the soundtrack to one of my first campaigns, so the idea to invite them to play here came naturally," she says. "I always say that Gucci has a rock TV roll soul." Singer Deborah Harry slipped out of her Gucci heels and into sandals before delivering a set of the band's greatest hits.

For actress Camilla Belle, there was also an element of personal surprise. She learned that the midnight-blue Gucci Premiere gown she wore to the 2010 Cannes Film Festival is on display. "I can't believe that my outfit is included in the museum," she said. "I'm still pinching myself." Jim Shi