_How Gucci fell in love with the English countryside

However, it was this chance meeting between Alessandro Michele, the bearded creative director of Gucci, and the current Duchess of Devonshire that has led to a fruitful collaboration that celebrates Chatsworth House in Derbyshire – the country estate that is said to have inspired Jane Austen’s Pemberley, the seat of Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

It was a conversation between the two about their mutual passion for art, architecture,  history and   culture   that   led   to   the  designer ’s decision to locate his Cruise 2017 collection shoot at Chatsworth.

‘I was looking for a charming place, outside London, in the countryside, where I could shoot my new advertising campaign,’ explains Michele. ‘I wanted to tell a part of the Gucci story – about what happens if you are rock ‘n’ roll in another way. I wanted to swim in a kind of English eccentricity. So, I decided to come to Chatsworth, as it’s a very unique place.’

The famous historic house and home, with its roots dating back to the 16th century, proved to be just what Michele was looking for. And so, he arrived with his team of models in their Italian bohemian clothes and accessories, as well as with a surprise additional visitor. ‘Planning the collection, I realised I was missing a big piece of the story – Gucci is always about incorporating different things, different influences, but always talking the same language,’ says the designer.

‘So, I invited Vanessa Redgrave, who of course you know, to take part in the shoot. And though she was 79 at the time, she is reallyvrock ‘n’roll – much more so than myself or any of the younger models.’

It was a move typical of  Michele, whose fascination with British culture,  from young illustrators such as Angelica Hicks, to Northern Soul and Capability Brown landscape gardens, is well known. Citing ‘a British attitude’ in his work – a quality he defines as a lo e of eclecticism - Michele often takes inspiration from a wide range of British sources, and in Chatsworth he had found the perfect canvas for his romantic narrative of contemporary freedom of expression.

But Chatsworth is no stranger to the world of fashion. As far back as the 18th century it was home to the style icon and socialite Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, and then more recently it was occupied by Deborah Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, known to friends as Debo, the stylish younger Mitford sister who included the renowned photographer Cecil Beaton among her circle. Deborah Cavendish’s granddaughter is the model Stella Tennant.

‘I adore the aesthetic of Chatsworth – it’s old-time chic. And importantly, this house is not a monument, it’s a living house,’ says Michele. So, after his advertising shoot, he decided he would like Gucci to support Chatsworth’s programme of cultural events.

The first major one is currently running – House Style, an exhibition of clothing and memorabilia associated with Chatsworth over five centuries. Curated by author and expert on couture, and American Vogue’s International Editor-at-Large, Hamish Bowles, it is a spectacular walk through the ages, viewed through the lens of wardrobes, jewels, photography, letters and artworks.

‘Although there are many wonderful clothes in the exhibition, it’s not really a fashion exhibition; it’s the story of a house, of a family, and the story belongs to the family; and the story also belongs to the history of the place,’ explains Michele.

This exhibition is all about love, because the family love the things on show – they love culture, they love the mystery, and they open their house to the world,’ he says. ‘I was saying to the Duchess of Devonshire that it’s very rare to find something like this in Italy. There, the great families keep things closed, they don’t share it.’

Michele also sees Chatsworth as an example of how ‘British culture has a true appreciation of beauty.’ He gives the example of the sculpture gallery, created by the 6th Duke in the 19th century: ‘This house is full of beautiful things from around the world. Again, I was talking with the Duchess about this and saying that I am from Rome, and it is so exotic for me to stay in a house that has statues by [the Roman sculptor] Antonio Canova everywhere, as they do at Chatsworth. Here I am in the middle of England, and it’s so fascinating to see how the English fill their houses with pieces from other cultures.’

As a Romantic, Michele is full of praise for the 6th Duke’s passion: ‘What the Duke understood and what Chatsworth still understands, is that beauty is like a religion, it’s something that belongs to everybody.’ But he also sees Chatsworth as embodying the creativity and eclecticism that lies at the heart of his design philosophy.

‘Gucci is very contemporary, but the history of England is contemporary too – the way today British culture incorporates so many different elements, from royalty and aristocracy to punk rock,’ he explains. ‘As we developed the exhibition, the project became more and more fascinating.

"I really understood the idea that here we were letting different things talk the same language – from the pictures and memorabilia of the past, to the high-fashion dresses that belong to Stella Tennant. It all belongs to one language – a contemporary language, which is my language.’

House Style, curated by Hamish Bowles, is sponsored by Gucci and runs until 22 October 2017 at Chatsworth House, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1PP; chatsworth.org

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