Gucci Cruise 2019 show at Arles necropolis blends fashion, art, and Dante

On May 30, 2018, Gucci held its Cruise 2019 fashion show at the Alyscamps necropolis in Arles, France, a UNESCO World Heritage site that inspired Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Creative director Alessandro Michele presented 114 looks on a runway marked by flames, with guests seated on mirrors. The collection featured Latin inscriptions, Chateau Marmont logos, and eclectic references from Dante's Inferno to Fellini's Casanova. Hair stylist Paul Hanlon created Elizabethan and 1970s rockstar hairstyles, while makeup artist Yadim Carranza used gems and chains to redefine models' faces. Nail artist Jenny Longworth contributed elaborate nail designs. The show attracted celebrities including Valeria Golino, Chiara Mastroianni, Saoirse Ronan, Salma Hayek, and Amanda Lear, as well as curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and fashion scholar Maria Luisa Frisa. A post-show concert featured Elton John. The event underscored Gucci's strategy of staging shows in culturally significant sites, following Westminster Abbey and the Uffizi Gallery. The article also notes that Gucci announced 400 new jobs in Scandicci the previous month.