Lifestyle // Women's
Seeing Things: Gucci Museo
Galleries devoted to "Flora World." Gucci Museum, Florence, Italy.
Milan may be Italy’s fashion capital. But Florence, arguably the country’s top cultural destination, is the place to soak up the history of style. Ferragamo has long operated a museum devoted to its inspired shoe designs here. Now another hometown house expands the field with Gucci Museo (guccimuseo.com).
Gucci Museo.
Overlooking the landmark Piazza della Signoria in a 14th-century palazzo, the 18,460-square-foot showcase begins with a look at the original 1920s luggage designs produced by Guccio Gucci (after serving as a bellman at London’s Savoy Hotel) and continues with vitrines devoted to early classic floral collections and bamboo-handled bags. From horse tack to a 1979 Cadillac—even a neon orange surfboard— the collection ventures as far and wide as the imaginations of the house’s designers. Formal showstoppers, including a 2011 ostrich feather gown worn at the Oscars by Hilary Swank, boast their own dramatically lit gallery.
Vintage luggage at Florence's Gucci Museo.
Fashion isn’t the only draw. On the second of the museum’s three levels, a contemporary art gallery rotates pieces from the Francois Pinault Collection and screens experimental video art. The museum is also a destination for pasta nibblers and espresso sippers thanks to its ground-floor cafe with a library-like communal table strewn with Rizzoli art books, also on sale in the in-house bookshop. An adjoining space lures shoppers with the Icon Collection, dealing period Gucci designs ranging from the “Flora” scarf to the “New Jackie” handbag. Nice touch: Half of the 6-euro admission benefits the preservation and restoration of Florence’s art treasures. —Elaine Glusac
