On the surface, Barbara has it all under control: the brand, the guests, the perfect hostess routine, motherhood-on-schedule, and, obviously, the perfect new Demna-fied Gucci wardrobe. Beneath it all, she’s juggling like a circus act on a tightrope. Naturally, the evening doesn’t stick to script. One crack in the polish (and many doses of an adaptogen-fueled wellness tincture in the champagne) and suddenly the empire of appearances begins to wobble, crumbling into a sort of dystopian psychedelic nightmare, forcing the family to improvise a new version of “together.”
The screening took place in a movie theater dressed up in brown plush that whispered, yes, I’m sumptuous and expensive. Demna held court with François-Henri Pinault, new Kering CEO Luca De Meo, and Gucci’s freshly crowned CEO Francesca Bellettini, plus a row full of celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Serena Williams. When asked in which of the lookbook’s characters he saw himself, Demna shot back: “Il Ragazzo. But please—not the Il Ragazzo della Porta Accanto (The Guy Next Door). And definitely not Il Figo (The Cool One). That would be a bit too much for me.”
Whether he likes it or not, Demna is Milan’s new Cool One. He said he liked Spike Jonze for the job because, “I’ve admired his work for a long time, since I saw Adaptation. And Her is probably one of my favorite movies, conceptually. And I really wanted to work with someone who could bring a strong artistic dimension to it. So it’s not an ad, it has a depth and artistic point of view.” He added, “It’s a film that has a very important and deep message.”