Gucci Apparel and Accessories: an Advertising Review

Visual Composition and Symbolism

This advertisement features Gucci apparel and accessories across a two-page spread. Within this ad, a man and woman are presented adorning Gucci brand attire. The male and female figures are surrounded by a flat, yellow, sandy area, and large dark gray boulders appear in the background underneath a clear blue sky, much like a desert or an oasis. The sand and sky share almost fifty percent equally of the left page. One specific boulder seems to be erected closely to the right side of the female’s feet and leans slightly to the left. This boulder almost consumes the right half of the right page. It is about a seventy-five percent ratio, with the sand occupying a mere twenty percent, while the sky takes up five percent of the right page. This particular boulder seems to serve as a grand phallic symbol jutting out of the sand. This imagery evokes a sense of mystique and allure, drawing viewers into the ad's narrative. But let’s move on by viewing one subject at a time.

The Male Figure: An Icon of Power

The man appears to be perched on a metallic gold block or even a “throne” of some sort placed in the center of the two-page ad. This chair without legs could have been any color or material, but it is solid gold, conceivably to identify with royalty and superiority. His body is fixated towards us. He sits on the arm of the golden block chair with his left leg raised, bent at the knee, and the heel is placed onto the edge of the seat, creating an upward pointing triangle. His right leg is outstretched towards us and is placed to the left of the woman’s head. The male’s left arm is bent at the elbow and placed casually on his left knee with his fingers slightly curled, also forming an upward pointing triangle. His right arm is straightforward with his hand positioned in between his spread legs, and his hand is somewhat grasping the arm of the square chair with fingers pointing downward. His demeanor seems fixated or concentrated due to the slight furrow in his brow, and he is gazing down upon the woman. There is a shadow cast from his brow bone, and his eyes are not visible. He is wearing dark colors, and the clothing almost covers his entire body. The man is wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck underneath a velour sports coat, cuffed pants, a silk scarf which is casually draped over his shoulders, and dark loafers. This would be inappropriate and inconvenient apparel if this were truly in the Sahara Desert. This could imply that this name brand clothing keeps you “cool” (not in the literal sense) in unfavorable environments such as with petty people. The man’s body, from his head to his toes, covers the ad from top to bottom in the center of the left page. He is the largest vertical object in this ad, even more than the boulder on the right page.

The Female Figure: Connotations of Control

Underneath the gilded “throne,” the woman appears recumbent in the sand. Her head is positioned down below the male’s spread legs. Her feet span outwards to the right side of the right page alongside the reflective chair. In the metallic chair, her reflection is shown from the top of her head to her bent knee. Her leg that is laid flat is not even shown in the reflection. It almost seems as if she’s in a position to give childbirth or to “receive” what that large boulder symbolizes. As reflective as this chair is, she and the sand are the only things reflected in this chair. Her neck is positioned directly under his dangling left foot. This positioning suggestively shows having a “woman by the neck” or controlled by the male figure. Her left leg is stretched flat, whilst her right leg is bent at the knee and brought up, allowing her upper thigh to become exposed. This formation reveals yet another upward pointing triangle. The gold belt around her waist seems to match the chair. There is a reflection of a source of light shining back at us, but not one in the chair. This draws our attention to her exposed lower area. Perhaps the matching gold signifies the likeness of a palace slave in shackles in Ancient Egypt. The female’s right hand is placed on her abdomen with her elbow bent and resting in the sand. Her expression is blank with her eyelids closed, as if she is relaxed and careless of her situation while the male is dominant and aware. Her hair seems a bit unkempt and unruly to match her unconcerned expression. She is wearing a gray long sleeve dress with a high thigh cut and deep maroon colored thigh-high shoes/boots. In beige semitransparent lettering, the logo “GUCCI” appears directly above her pointed right knee in the center of the right page and takes up the whole middle space in front of everything.

Symbolism and Cultural References

The overall shape the ad portrays is an upward pointing triangle. If you start with the man, following his gaze and lengthened body downward to the woman whose legs connect to the base of the boulder which points upward and to the left connecting the image, you can begin to see the imprinted image. Perhaps this can also serve as a symbol of the pyramids referring back to Ancient Egypt and the rule and power of man. This ad leads men to believe that if you purchase and wear Gucci’s attire, you can rule and become dominant as well. Seeing as this ad was placed in Gentleman’s Quarterly (GQ), it doesn’t come as a surprise that this ad empowers men through the implicit persuasion of pathos. The desire to concur and reign is subliminally placed in this specific ad. The setting seems to portray an escape from everyday life, offering a visual narrative that suggests luxury and freedom. This view seems more of a vacation or leisure time evading everyday stress in the “real world.” The gold could signify greed to a certain extent. If one is in the possession of gold, one does not casually sit on it as a chair. Overall, this ad conveys power in a dream-like scenery to appeal to the inner human instinct to desire dominance, control, and riches.