Style

The North Face and Gucci take it back to the '70s for their groovy collection

Imagine bohemians were filthy rich.

Gucci The North Face Collection

Back in September, Gucci and The North Face used a bellowing alphorn to announce a monumental collaboration bringing together the luxury and outdoor worlds. Now the opulent gear has arrived, set to the tune of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" for a free-spirited romp.

Gucci's Alessandro Michele applies his well-established love for the '70s to the range of gorp, which includes riffs on original TNF patterns from the era. Floral prints appear across puffers, skirts, and baggage to bring a bohemian spirit to what will ultimately be an opulent purchase. We had a feeling graphics would triumph above all back when all we'd seen was a Gucci and TNF mashup logo, and that couldn't be more true with a wavy green, gold, and white print that makes use of the double-G.

If Megan Draper moved to Berkeley with that $1-million check after divorcing Don, this is what she'd wear while traipsing into the hills. (Fun fact: The North Face's original Berkeley storefront and factory was next door to Creedence Clearwater Revival's rehearsal studio.)

The function's still there — Gucci may not be what you'd want to risk roughing up while venturing through the mountains, but the collection would serve you well in cold and wet conditions. While Michele has brought in outside minds like Dapper Dan to work with Gucci, this is the first time he's collaborated with another brand. By making it The North Face, the gorp credentials are unquestionable.

Less fanciful pieces include parkas and puffers in rich shades of blue and red adorned by Gucci and TNF's combined logo. A bright red, full-length puffer skit is at once elegant and crunchy, and cable-knit beanies are more exquisite than what you'd usually wear outside the city. The only real deviation from the '70s aesthetic is a puffer coat with Gucci's signature GG pattern that's sure to appease those with logomania.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is just how massive the collection is. The North Face's previous dip into the luxury space with MM6 Maison Margiela was relatively abridged, but with Gucci it runs the gamut. There's even hike-ready footwear, consisting of a hefty leather boot with no shortage of branding. And if you need a sleeping bag, they've got that covered with a repeating print of their dual-logo.

Gucci

A slow rollout — Gucci will kick off the collection December 27 through pop-up stores in China, with a global release to follow in early January. If you find it hard to wait — understandable with such beautiful gorp — Gucci will also open a lottery of sorts on December 23 through its website for early access to the collection.

Now if only there were a lottery to give away the Gucci x TNF garms. Expect things to be prohibitively expensive, a mere fantasy for those of us who dream of such drip for our adventures.

Gucci