THE EXOTIC AND THE NOSTALGIC Gucci 2012 Cruise Collection

Fit enough to feed our wanderlust this season, the 2012 Cruise Collection of hallmark fashion and luggage brand Gucci, takes us on a round-about style adventure, from the mystic Orient to the wild jungles of Africa, the dusty deserts of Midwest USA, to a smooth landing on its Florentine heritage.

The House of Gucci, since 1921, has been serving up the finest luxury goods, building a crest on premium quality luggage; never short on sex appeal and hedonist aesthetic, Gucci circa 2012 is decked with expensive accoutrements, fine craftsmanship, and deluxe materials mixed and match to stylized excess by its crowning glory, creative director Frida Giannini.

Giannini’s take on resort accessorizing this season caters to the well-traveled, well-heeled, and well-versed in fashion parlance, for her design ethos of breathing adventure to the 90-year old label’s tried, tested, and trademarked formulas still seems fresh as the day they first elicited fashion’s awe.

The Gucci original GG fabric was fashioned into delightful ballerina flats and seriously roomy carry-alls. The Gucci Web—the green-red-green and blue-red-blue bands that became the Italian fashion giant’s victorious banner—finds their way in men’s loafer straps and sneaker stripes. And Gucci’s penchant for bamboo, which started in 1947 when the brand discovered the technique to heat and bend it to luxurious effect, figures as bag handles, buckles, and horsebit details on loafers, all done with striking results.

Hunting HeelsFor ladies on a prowl for some serious heel action, the Gucci 2012 Cruise collection of shoes did not skimp on the exotic skin, the controversial color-way, or the lofty ambitions. The multi-strapped love affair of BETTE, in black-lined bronze or zebra-printed pony lavishly lined with suede, are just plain temptations in twin steps.

The NOAH pumps in beige or black patent crafted from the plushest nappa charlotte and vernice crystal leathers puts a cocktail kick to corporate dressing.

And JAMIE, the high and mighty among them all, is a platform strutter in Tabasco soft leather, its color beams enough will and warning. And with peep-toe wedges, microguccissima ballerinas, and zebra-printed pony hair moccasins, there’s always a wild Gucci calling even for those who prefer laid-back comfort.

Still sexy, smart, and every bit as iconic as ever, the Gucci 2012 Cruise Collection pays homage to the journeys, voyages, and exploits of our lifetime, while revisiting the details and designs that made it famous. With a flair for luxury, a feel for material, and a fancy for the exotic, Gucci remains to be the greatest fashion adventure there is, and we’re lucky enough to get on for the ride.

In the Philippines, Gucci is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI) and is located at Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center and Rustan’s Tower Shangri-La Plaza Mall.