Tag Archives: Frida Giannini

Gucci Singapore Flagship Store and The Paravanda Collection

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Artist impression of the Gucci Paragon Flagship Store

It is long due for upgrade and now it has finally arrived. Gucci in Paragon Orchard, Singapore took over the spot once Ferragamo and Aigner stood and the four floors above it, making it a five-storey flagship boutique to match the upgrades of the other luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Prada in ION Orchard. The first two storeys of the boutique have opened for business since about two weeks ago. Following its predecessors such as the stores in Rome, New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong among few, the Singapore store carries Frida Gianini’s vision of warm, open and luxurious feel with brown and gold tones. It is a depart from the Tom Ford’s cold black and silver concept we have accustomed to for the past one decade. I personally like Frida’s concept very much as it has a touch of the luxurious old Gucci feel.

The Paravanda Frida Boston Bag

To commemorate the opening of this store, the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Botanic Garden named an orchid after Frida, Paravanda Frida. Apparently, Singapore has outdone their New York, Rome and Shanghai counterparts in welcoming the Italian giant to the city state and in return, like what she has done for the opening of the three flagship stores before this, Frida launched a highly limited edition Gucci Joy collection, called the Paravanda Friday collection, for an obvious reason.

The Paravanda Frida Collection

The collection will be launched in early March 2010, together with the store opening which Frida herself will attend. It comprises of 78-piece-only coated canvas Boston bag, 10-piece-only leather-appliqued Boston bag with croc trims and wrislets. The price for the coated canvas Boston is SGD1,280 and is available for pre-booking now (if not already fully booked).

The Paravanda Frida

100% sales of this collection’s Boston bags will be donated to Singapore’s Mainly I Love Kids (MILK) charity.

Images are courtesy of Gucci

What Were They Thinking? – Gucci Teddy Bear Nylon Tote

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Ok, what went through Frida Giannini’s mind when she designed or approved this tote for production? Maybe she hinted that she wanted a baby? Fine, it is cute, the Teddy bear serves as the compartment for the tote when folded and when not, it is the oversized charm that serves as an extra compartment too but will you buy this? Maybe as a gift to a newborn but at GBP205, it is not that cute to me. Available in black, brown green if you beg to differ from my take.

Image is courtesy of Gucci

The Frida Giannini for Gucci Bags

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The Gucci bags from Tom Ford era have become collectible items today but thanks to Frida, a Gucci bag has become less a fashion accessory and more a bag. Coming from the younger generation of women, Frida sees fashion in a more pragmatic way and it translates into the way she approaches her work. The challenge of working with a leather house with a venerable heritage like Gucci is balancing it with the designer’s vision and Frida is pretty good at this game of taking something from Gucci’s archieve  (for instance the flora print, the GG logo, the family crest, the bamboo and the saddle) and putting them on products that sell. Does Gucci today dictate the fashion season after season like Prada or Chanel does? Perhaps not but it sells better and for the house that had already invested so much in rebuilding the brand back in the 90s, perhaps this is time to harvest.

Images are courtesy of Gucci

Gucci New Jackie

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The Jackie O’ a.k.a Bouvier is probably Gucci’s most iconic bag. Jackie O’, the former first lady of the United States, whom the bag was named after was often spotted wearing one on her shoulder and marked a mile in the history of the brand. As of now, the bag is one of the most iconic bags ever created in the fashion history and Gucci has Jackie to thank for that. Decades after its original creation, the bag has been reinvented times and again. For Spring/ Summer 2009, Creative Director Frida Giannini gave the icon a face-lift by blowing the size up to larger than ever (18 3/4″W x 15 1/3″ H x 2 1/3″ D) and adding a long strap, making the bag a sling bag too. This is what i love  most about Frida Giannini. Being a younger designer, she has better understanding on the practical side of fashion, yet she is seasoned enough to not be submissive and remain original.

Some versions of the New Jackie for Spring/ Summer 2009 (from left to right):

Top row: Crystal GG fabric (USD2,995), Coral leather (USD3,100), Brown distressed leather (USD3,150)

Bottom row: Brown Guccissima (USD3,250), Brown Phyton (USD5,900), Brown Ostrich (USD9,900)

My favourites are the brown Guccissima and brown Ostrich. Check out all available versions at your nearest Gucci stores or neimanmarcus.com.

Images are courtesy Gucci Italy