23 September, 1989.
Just after nine in the morning on the second day of Milan Fashion Week, people began streaming into an abandoned factory in the Fiorani District on Milan's western outskirts.
Gucci's Spring/Summer 1990 women's show would start at ten.
Three months earlier, once Gucci had chosen this derelict factory on Via Maestrina in the eastern suburb of Fiorani, its crew began renovating the shed that would host the show. By the time Fashion Week opened, the entire Via Maestrina was plastered with Gucci posters, and inside every detail, lights, seats, runway, had been polished to perfection.
At its heart, the show was one giant marketing push for the brand, meant to restore Gucci's luxury lustre after years of decline. The clothes themselves were almost secondary: with real effort, a competent designer could hardly fail.
The real focus was backstage.
To guarantee maximum, and positive, exposure, Gucci's marketing team had started their media blitz months earlier, while Daenerys Entertainment offered every support it could.
By show-day, top fashion magazines had already cleared space for Gucci spreads, and CNN, MTV plus broadcasters across Europe, Australia and Asia had agreed to cover it. Celebs were flown in for regional appeal: Valeria Golino, hot in Italy after 'Rain Man' and 'Batman Begins', would handle local press; Madonna and Geena Davis would front CNN/MTV; Natassja Kinski would speak to French TV, and so on.
On the model front, sensing Gucci's aggressive move, rival houses like Dior and Chanel flexed their muscles, so superstars such as Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista stayed away.
Still, the line-up was stellar: Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni, Paulina Porizkova, Stephanie Seymour and Helena Christensen more than carried the catwalk's star-power.
There was also the Gucci documentary shot around the event.
After the show, the film would hit North-American theatres in November, followed by Europe and Asia.
Much like the 'Gucci Night' at Cannes in May, Simon's role today was largely ceremonial.
He had, however, planned a break after 'Batman Begins', so the timing wasn't rushed—plus it gave Janette a legitimate escape from Cersei Capital. Once the show ended he would still have plenty to do, but no need to dash off as before.
They'd partied at a downtown club till late last night, yet he was up early again.
They drove from Lake Como to Milan's eastern outskirts, breakfasted together before eight, then plunged into a schedule that, though the runway would last only fifteen minutes, would keep them busy for two or three days.
Again: the real work happens behind the scenes.
"Hey, Maggie… yeah, Janette and I are head-to-toe Gucci, so I'm already eyeing other labels before we're stuck wearing just one.… I owe you a session? Of course I haven't forgotten".
"…Geena, Jeff, glad you could make it.… It's a baseball picture, so you'll need training. After 'A League Of Their Own' you'll graduate to action heroine.… Did I just say that out loud?"
"…Riley, you look gorgeous today.… Italian? No problem, but I still prefer your accented English".
"Hello, Ms Wintour.… Thanks, the set-up looks amazing, but that's all Ford and the team; I can't take credit".
With minutes to go, guests finished posing at the media wall and milled in the holding area, chatting.
While Sofia and Tom Ford made last-minute tweaks, Simon and Janette worked the room as hosts.
After one circuit, Janette leaned in and whispered, "Why isn't Sandra here?"
"She's shooting a new film, she has no time off", Simon murmured, brushing her cheek with a kiss. "You miss Sandy?"
He'd spoken with Sandra in Los Angeles days earlier; to widen her range she'd signed on for a Columbia Pictures musical.
Starting with the 1978 box-office champion 'Grease', musicals have remained a vital Hollywood genre, with hits everywhere you look.
Simon hadn't heard of the musical 'The Forbidden Dance', but since Sandra wanted to try it he didn't dissuade her. After several blockbusters and an Oscar Best Supporting Actress nod, her star was secure, one or two flops wouldn't matter.
There was no need to spell all this out for Janette.
Janette curled her lip. "The less I see of her, the better".
As they whispered, a curvaceous Latina approached; Simon recognized Sabina Ferilli from the Florence trip and greeted her. "Hey, Sabina, what brings you here?"
Sabina looked pleasantly surprised. "Simon, you remember me! Miss Fessey sent my invitation. Um… is this your girlfriend?"
"Yes, Janette Johnston, Janette, this is Sabina Ferilli".
After the women exchanged pleasantries, Sabina said she'd just landed a role in Giuseppe Tornatore's new film 'Everybody's Fine' as one of the hero's children, admitting Sophia had pulled a few strings.
When 'Cinema Paradiso' took the Palme d'Or in May, replacing 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape', Tornatore instantly became Italy's top director; Universal Pictures paid a fortune for 'Cinema Paradiso', and studios scrambled for his next project.
Yet bungled distribution meant 'Cinema Paradiso' barely rippled across North America.
After some twists, Daenerys Entertainment re-boarded as a producer on Tornatore's new 'Everybody's Fine', budgeted at $3 million, a healthy sum in Europe. Highgate Film put up $1 million for full North-American rights across all channels.
Thanks to 'Cinema Paradiso's North-American flop and Daenerys's rising clout, Highgate now held plenty of sway over the picture.
Gucci and High Gate were collaborating on the 'Gucci Documentary', so Sophia stayed in touch with Deutchman. In Italy, landing Sabina Ferilli a part in 'Everybody's Fine' was easy; the script called for a model among the hero's children, and Sabina fit perfectly.
Simon still wondered why Sophia was helping her, their brief first meeting hadn't seemed close enough for favours like this.
Near ten o'clock the guests began taking their seats.
Although the guest list was long, tonight was all about the new Gucci collection on the models, so the lights focused on the runway.
To accommodate the documentary crew, the press weren't crammed at the foot of the runway as usual; an extended catwalk split the media zone from the guest seating.
Simon and Janette, planning minimal screen time in the 'Gucci Documentary', requested an unobtrusive second-row spot; the front row was reserved for fashion and film A-listers the cameras would hunt.
Ten o'clock.
The lights dimmed and the opening music started.
A weary Sophia emerged from backstage; Jennifer, on Simon's left, gave up the seat beside him.
Spotlights hit the runway as Cindy Crawford opened the show in a white Gucci dress, round neck, sleeveless, backless, cinched waist, knee-length, branded trims: instantly striking.
Frankly, Simon found most late-'80s fashions unbearable, especially urban power-suits with linebacker shoulders.
Because he hated them, the women around him rarely wore those jackets.
Sophia often faxed and phoned Simon while designing the collection, so his memories of future trends seeped through. Tom Ford clearly took many hints, especially weaving stronger Gucci branding and more intricate detailing into the garments, a smart anti-counterfeiting move.
Luxury knockoffs had long been every brand's nightmare.
Another adopted idea: grouping the show into colour-thematic segments, sparing the audience jarring shifts from monochrome to traffic-light brights.
Simon had done his homework, studying recent runway videos from every major brand again and again.