Word: gianninis
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...Giannini, emphasizing wearable over sexual was part of the plan. "Women of my generation have a real life," she says. "They need to work. They have personal lives. I want to design something for them, something personal, something that comes from the brain...
Regime changes in fashion have a few things in common with presidential campaigns: both feature bitter rivalries, professional jealousy and personal attacks, and both involve a lot of money. That's why it's been particularly hard for designer Frida Giannini, 35, to win the vote of her fashion constituents for the three years that she has been overseeing the creative direction of Gucci, the $3.1 billion (2.1 billion euro) apparel, fragrance and accessories juggernaut. Compared with her predecessor, the fashion rock star Tom Ford, Giannini cuts a low profile, and critics have called her runway shows everything from "hard...
...waiflike Giannini has a deep voice and feline self-assurance. Her appointment to the top spot in 2005 came with an announcement of extreme corporate confidence that belied her scant experience: the brand aimed to double revenues through 2011. True, she was young, female and European and therefore uniquely in touch with her target customer. But Gucci's execs also knew that Giannini was a genius with handbags?fashion's red-hot commodity. She was, after all, one of the designers who helped create Fendi's blockbuster baguette, the tiny bag that ignited the accessories frenzy that continues to drive...
...Gucci, Giannini worked her magic with the Flora print, an iconic design created as a scarf for Grace Kelly in 1966. As Ford was churning out the label's black-on-black nightclub vibe, Giannini splashed the happy flowers onto Gucci's bags. "There were so many people who said, 'Maybe it's too pretty for Gucci.' But to me, it was such an important design. So light in a way, but with a good energy," Giannini says. The Flora became one of the most successful products in Gucci history, a fact not lost on Gucci management or industry analysts...
...Giannini's bigger challenge has been to try to reposition Gucci's clothing lines. With her first collection, she followed her devil-may-care instincts and showed sophisticated and feminine 1940s-inspired tea dresses, an abrupt move away from Ford's overt sexuality. Since then, some retailers felt the clothing lacked luster. "It's never an easy thing, following a strong designer at a brand that has a strong identity," says Ann Stordahl, executive vice president of women's apparel at Neiman Marcus. "But I think Frida has worked to add a feminine aspect to the Gucci brand...