MYSTIQUE, MURDER, MYSTERY and magnificent jewels: House of Gucci opened to mixed reviews by critics and statements that the film is not a factual portrayal by the heirs to the Gucci family. But jewelry journalists, retailers, bloggers and much of the industry who saw the film were thrilled with what proved to be a satisfying representation of the jewels of the time period in which it takes place. Director Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci is based on the book House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Ford. Whether or not all of the scenes in the film and the way in which the Guccis are characterized holds true, there is the fact that Patrizia Reggiani dazzled in piled-on jewels and plotted her husband Maurizio Gucci’s murder.
So let’s get to the jewels. Janty Yates, costume designer for the film went to where else but Bulgari for quite a number of scenes in the film. Their heritage and jewels, which almost define the extravagant and over-the-top ‘80s and early ‘90s, were perfect for dressing Lady Gaga as Patrizia in the film in vintage and contemporary high jewelry styles. Yates also called upon Boucheron for pieces to stack and layer on Patrizia in the movie as the couple (Maurizo is played by Adam Driver) gain control of the fashion label from Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons), Aldo (Al Pacino) and Paolo (Jared Leto) and then sell the company over the course of the 1980s and 1990s.
They lived lavish lifestyles and spent extravagantly during this time, and Patrizia’s jewelry and fashion help to define her character as she becomes more invested in the Gucci name and in putting a hit out on Maurizio. There are yellow gold chains galore, yellow gold on-the-ear and drop earrings, and wide bracelets in the style that Patrizia wore.
The Bulgari pieces include a necklace from Bulgari’s Heritage Collection originally owned by the Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the daughter of actress Rita Hayworth and Prince Aly Kahn, and a contemporary ruby and diamond necklace and earring suite from Bulgari’s Le Magnifiche collection, which features 11 oval rubies and 77 round brilliant cut diamonds.
For the yellow gold pieces, Yates borrowed costume jewelry from Pikko Srl. in Milan, which often lends to film sets.
For the jewelry obsessed, the film, which runs a little over two and a half hours, is a veritable feast of jewels that have begun to make a comeback on the ready-to-wear runways this past season and in the design studios. Lady Gaga truly inhabits her character and looks damn good in the jewels while doing it. If anyone can bring the ‘80s excess back, it’s her.
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