Everything You Need To Know About ‘House Of Gucci’
It’s the beginning of August, and everyone is talking about the newest addition to the fashion film catalogue: House Of Gucci. This film explores the turbulent marriage and divorce of Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci, the head of the Gucci fashion house, as a a relationship full of style and corruption, and which ultimately led to murder. Directed by Ridley Scott and based on Sarah Gay Forden’s book The House of Gucci: The Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour and Greed, this film is expected to represent the lives of the fashion elite, in all their highs and lows, to the extreme. Arriving in cinemas this November, the critically acclaimed cast includes Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Salma Hayek.
For Lady Gaga fans, this is an exciting cinematic return for the artist, who hasn’t been seen in a major role since the success of her Oscar-nominated A Star is Born. Having featured subsequently in American Horror Story and other small gigs, Gaga now takes center-stage as Patrizia Reggiani, Italian socialite and ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci. Set in Italy in 1995, the fashion biopic centres around her character, who, after marrying into fashion royalty, was sentenced to 29 years in prison for plotting the murder of her ex-husband, the heir to the Gucci empire.
The trailer to the masterpiece is suffused with glamour and luxury, with an abundance of fur coats, tailored suits, sparkling jewellery, and other chic attire making certain characters hard to miss. With the help of costume designer Janty Yates, who had full access to the Gucci archive in order to craft looks for the cast, audiences are treated to pieces that are exquisitely and richly designed, not to mention a host of outfits featuring other designers such as Sandro, Max Mara, and Burberry. In one particular scene, Lady Gaga wears Christian Dior goggles - an homage to the addiction many Italian socialities have to the icy slopes - while delivering the iconic line, “I don’t consider myself an ethical person, but I am fair.”
If you are interested in doing some research before watching the movie, here are some recommendations that can help you gain some context about the House of Gucci and the crime at its centre:
Lady Gucci: The Story of Patrizia Reggiani
This documentary recounts the murder straight from the mouth of Patrizia Reggiani herself. It doesn’t just feature her, but also includes friends, a co-conspirator, journalists, and the detective who helped to solve the case. On Discovery+, Lady Gucci explores Reggiani’s attitude and thought process and considers what makes her the villain of the story. Her lack of remorse for her ex-husband’s murder is fairly shocking, and money, Gucci, and her legacy remain the focus of her progression: “I have a short coming. I can’t aim straight, so I couldn’t do it myself… Jail did not change me one bit, because I came out the same as I went in.”
Fashion Victim: The Last of the Guccis
Rather than isolate the crime as a subject for exploration, this documentary is more about Gucci’s overall history. It traces the history of the house and its rise to fame, including how it fell from grace following Maurizio’s murder, and was rebirthed under new ownership. Available on Filmrise, it provides insight into the fashion industry and its influence on a global scale, and considers the international power that Gucci had/has as a house.
The House of Gucci: The Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour and Greed
Fair warning that it contains spoilers, but if you want to look at the marriage between the two characters and the grit involved in the murder trial, then reading the book is recommended. It explores in full the house, the Gucci family, and the volatility brought about by glamorous, super-elite lifestyles. Together, this highlights the corrupt nature of fashion and thinks about how its superficiality can cause relationships to deteriorate.
The film raises many questions and is a rare entity; it is not often that we see the story of a fashion house featuring in mainstream cinema without camp or satirical overtones. With Gucci at the centre of all things fashion and film, this story is dramatic, compelling, and timely in exploring the key moments of fashion influence in the past century. We will be waiting impatiently to watch come November, and have high hopes that Gaga will astound once again.
