January 18, 2006

John Ray is homesick for his native Scotland. Or at least that's how it would seem, judging from his latest Gucci collection. After several seasons of elegance fit for an Italian aristocrat, Ray was inspired to cut loose by the portraits of some of his favorite old Scottish artists. "Wild and romantic" was what he was looking for. With their voluminous coats, high boots, and streaming hair, the models did indeed look like they'd just spent several centuries making their way down from the Highlands.

Coats were the key component of the collection: hems dipped, backs were pleated for extra volume; one almost swept the floor in a highwayman style. To this reviewer, at least, the proportions seemed slightly off. I'm all for a break from the tyranny of skinny tailoring, but these coats were almost too big.

Underneath, Ray showed a series of poetically flowing voile shirts with ruffles or lace sleeves. Trousers throughout were tucked into boots, with a ruff of cashmere sock at the top. He gave his poet a shot of punk with a mohair sweater (a frill peeking over its collar) and a plaid shirt in wool flannel. Pair that with a scarf flowing from the waist, and for one mad moment, Axl Rose stalked the Gucci catwalk—that, for good or ill, is about as far from Luchino Visconti as you can get.

— Tim Blanks