You wouldn't expect that the Gucci man would be at his best in the great outdoors. Despite the brand's equestrian heritage, he seems like the reclining type, the kind of guy who likes kicking back indoors in his luxury. But Frida Giannini had a new, athletic direction in mind for him for S/S 14 and he needed to come prepared. So gone were his preppy blazers and shirts, replaced instead by actionman-wear - t-shirts, backpacks, jodhpurs (a new take on the label's horsey history) and windbreaker jackets. Even the famous flora print had been given a new spin - a darker, earthy guise that suggested the Gucci man was now at one with nature. This was most obvious on a rustic, crafty knit that looked more suited to the kind of man who frequents the organic food shop and practices yoga than your archetypal Gucci playboy.
You could read this unexpected championing of sportswear more as a response to the way men are dressing than an attempt to actually shape the direction of menswear. This was very much luxury heritage pushed into the shapes and silhouettes that seem to be taking over the market, but the result was convincing enough to suggest an exciting new turn for Giannini. The Gucci boy sure looks good out in the wild.