Gucci Museum

I can't say that I've ever been a big fan of Gucci.  Many of his accessory designs are not very colorful, and stick to geometric lines (whereas I prefer bright colors, lively prints and organic forms).  My visit to the Gucci museum taught me that my understanding of many designers merely scrapes the surface of their work.  I soon learned that that judging a designer off of their signature items is just like judging a book by its cover.  Yes, the image that a designer chooses as a trademark is important, but there is usually much more to a brand.
For example, the travel, handbags, precious and logomania rooms were all filled with Gucci products that I was familiar with.  These products emphasize the red/green stripe combination, leather craftsmanship, bamboo, horse bit hardware, and the interlocking "GG" pattern.  This is the Gucci that I have not been fond of in the past.
The rooms that were of particular interest to me were: flora world, evening, lifestyle and sport.  The flora world room was engaging because it featured both bright colors and organic forms, yet the print is still rooted in tradition.  The evening gowns were stunning.  With these, the Gucci brand proved to me that it is capable of elegance and attention to detail (as opposed to the principles of durability and luxury that the brand was founded upon).  The lifestyle and sport rooms showed Gucci design concepts that I was familiar with (like the red/green stripe) but re-purposed those ideas into products that are outside the traditional realm of fashion.  I especially enjoyed the wicker picnic sets.
My favorite part of the museum was the atmosphere that was created on the ground floor, including the bookstore, the restaurant and the cafe.  This proves that the Gucci brand has undertaken the mentality of a brand as a lifestyle (it now makes sense why my peers studying marketing also took a field trip here!).  I spent over an hour perusing design books in the cafe and I hope to return before I leave Florence.
The trip to the Gucci museum left me very excited for what the Ferragamo museum has to offer!