By Melissa Singer
The 2017 Merriam-Webster word of the year might be "feminism" but in fashion circles, I am pretty sure it's "Gucci-fication".
The Italian fashion house, under the auspices of Alessandro Michele, has had a stellar couple of years, with everything it touches turning to Gucci gold.
Gucci's pre-fall 2018 collection includes baseball caps and hiking boots.Credit: Photo by Peter Schlesinger - Courtesy of Gucci
The new aesthetic under Michele, a pastiche of vintage, athleisure, and what I like to call "kitchen sink dressing", has had many fans but it's also had its detractors, who have dismissed Michele's vision as "faux vintage".
That, coupled with Gucci's influence on logomania – $750 T-shirt, anyone? – has led some to question whether the Gucci gloss is finally starting to show a little wear and tear.
And then, this week, the first pictures of the brand's pre-fall collection have emerged, showing "Guccified" baseball caps and hiking boots with "GUCCI" emblazoned on the tongue (groan).
It would be one thing if people were actually planning to wear said boots to the Appalachians but they are more likely to wear them to the Apple store to buy the next instalment of the iPhone.
Gucci's pre-fall collection was shot in Rome.Credit: Photo by Peter Schlesinger - Courtesy of Gucci
Following in the footsteps of Balenciaga, Gucci has gone a touch "gorpcore" for next season (sidenote: don't you just love fashion's merry-go-round of imitation masquerading as "inspiration").
While the Western touches in the fringed leather jackets will have you channelling your inner cowgirl, the inclusion of caps bearing the New York Yankees logo, one of the most ubiquitous symbols of American fashion and life, is a bridge too far. What will Gucci take ownership of next, Christmas?
In fairness to Michele, and Major League Baseball, the caps are an official collaboration. But why make them in the first place? Couldn't Michele come up with his own designs or play on American sporting culture?
Maybe, as the tide turns on logomania, it made more sense for Michele to join forces with the baseball league than make his own and be accused of selling out or ripping off.
Images from the Gucci pre-fall 2018 collection. Credit: Photo by Peter Schlesinger - Courtesy of Gucci.
But the fact is for many Americans, even owning an official licensed Yankees cap is a luxury. Now, whack a Gucci label (and price tag) on it and some baseball fans may find it a complete insult.
And yet, Michele's midas touch is likely to mean we will all be wearing baseball caps in seasons to come, after the beret had its moment in 2017.
Equally, Balenciaga's windbreaker and puffer jacket – two key items in the "dadcore" look – ensure that fashion's obsession with the great outdoors, in sartorial terms anyway, is here to stay.
Predictably, not everyone is a fan of Demna Gvasalia's latest interpretation of "future as past". The reaction on Instagram was swift.
Images from the Gucci pre-fall 2018 collection. Credit: Photo by Peter Schlesinger - Courtesy of Gucci
"@balenciaga you need to stop this mess. It's not edgy they look mentally disturbed," wrote one Instagram user.
"I'm sorry for the language but the style is just unbelievably horrible," wrote another.
But fans of the label jumped to Gvasalia's defence, with one commenting: "Nobody has to like it, only those of us who understand what Balenciaga wants to achieve with this. They have a perspective of the future with roots in the past. Amazing."
Indeed. It's enough to make you want to flee to the mountains and ponder life for a while. Now, about those Gucci hiking boots.