Waldorf Astoria

the Waldorf Astoria in Paris

When Frida Giannini was promoted to Creative Director of the illustrious Italian Fashion house in 2006, her new direction for Gucci was a grand departure from the overtly-sexy era of Tom Ford. Her ideas towards Luxury Fashion was ultra-Feminine and focused on must-have Accessories that would soon fill the ground floor spaces, which was unheard of  for codified retail spaces at the time.

Her vision for the house paved the way for Gucci’s 21st century modern look that evolved with the decadent imagination of Alessandro Michele. The doors to the first Flagship designed with this new concept opened in 2008 with critical acclaim during a new Global Recession...

The Design

Creating the new retail look offered Giannini a “great opportunity to explore another area of aesthetics and design that is not just about gowns or handbags, but the overall concept of my vision for Gucci,” she said. “Also, my second passion after fashion was always architecture. I am the daughter of an architect.”

Gucci touches abound, from a subtle double-G patterned carpet in the women’s footwear area to the iconic “web” stripe, which often features prominently in the collection and is etched into the frames of the glass fixtures. For the furniture pieces sprinkled throughout the store, Giannini sought inspiration from interior and furniture designers of the Thirties and Forties, including Gio Ponti and Jean-Michel Frank. Another inspiration was the Gucci store on Via Condotti in Rome, which just underwent a similar makeover and expansion, which acted as the testing ground for these new ideas in a historic setting.

New York's gleaming glass exterior, cuts a striking view from the street was the result of celebrated architect James Carpenter’s work. This external sheet of transparent glass spans all three stories, letting natural light pour through the space, allowing views both inside and out during the day then becomes a glowing beacon at night. 

The entire space has been transformed by Giannini’s reliance on natural light. An array of new materials such as ribbed glass, warm polished gold, smoked mirror and smoked glass, recall the elegance and richness of the Art Deco era and also afford the interiors incredible warmth and a striking graphic quality, in sync with Giannini’s ready to wear designs.

Geometric lines, including stylized characterizations of Gucci’s signature web striping, define the internal space, adding further symbolic detailing. For example, smoked mirror and smoked bronze glass alternate to allow for an elongated perspective; door handles are comprised of alternating gold and glass vertical stripes; the floor is covered in white marble that is sliced with a wide black marble strip that runs under foot, up the wall and on the ceiling overhead; a fused bronze glass with a striped cross section and a cracked lacquer are used on shelving and display cases, while rails, with a square cross section, have been created in warm polished gold.

Epilogue

What is remarkable to me after reflecting on this project from over a decade ago, is the realization that it had such longevity and survived so many other Branded Designs. I often came into contact with Gucci stores throughout my travels for Ralph Lauren  and was shocked to see these designs still being executed around the globe up to last year.

For more Imagery from the Design Process, Please open the PDF Link Below.

Team:

STUDIOS Architecture provided the 'Feasibility Study' for our Client to obtain financing to purchase the Governmental building and re-zone it for use as a Hotel.

New Business Development: David Burns, Greg Keffer & Jennifer di Leonardi