House of Gucci’s costume drama: Lady Gaga looks chic, but most of the cast gets dressed down in Ridley Scott’s new biopic – according to the Italian fashion dynasty family, anyway

Aug 13 , 2021

Lady Gaga’s portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s forthcoming biopic House of Gucci has been called an idealised portrait, but not everyone in the family is said to have benefitted from the cinematic treatment. Photo: @houseofgucci/Instagram

Jared Leto’s portrayal of an unkempt Paolo Gucci was ‘horrible, horrible’, says daughter Patrizia – while Al Pacino’s Aldo was called ‘fat, short, with sideburns, really ugly’

Scott and costume designer Janty Yates were granted unfettered access to the fashion house’s archives – but family members are displeased with the result

Browsing the images contained within Sara Gay Forden’s 2000 book, The House of Gucci, you’ll be struck by how stylish and sophisticated the Gucci family appears. All except, perhaps, for the overly tanned and often gaudily attired Patrizia Reggiani, the wife of luxury goods scion Maurizio Gucci – and scandalously, the person who arranged his murder in 1995.

The ill-fated relationship between Patrizia, Maurizio and this famous Florentine family is the subject of a new Ridley Scott movie, adapted from Forden’s book. The luxury brand founded by Guccio Gucci in 1921 (now owned by luxury conglomerate Kering) happily collaborated with Scott and his long-time costume designer Janty Yates on dressing the characters in the film – providing the production team with unfettered access to the house’s historical archive for wardrobe and props.

And House of Gucci’s recently released trailer, and images from the set, provide a good indication of the style we’ll see on screen when the film debuts in November.

By all indications, the cinematic Patrizia, portrayed by modern day fashion icon Lady Gaga, be will be a somewhat idealised version of the real thing. Footage and images show her sporting glamorous designer skiwear, plush fur coats, slinky metallic dresses, a frou-frou 80s Chanel couture frock, and signature Gucci garments including a 60s GG monogram dress drawn from the brand’s archive.

Gaga’s Patrizia also drips in gems, favouring creations from renowned Roman jeweller Bulgari. Notable among them is a museum piece originally crafted in 1991 for Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Hollywood star Rita Hayworth and playboy Prince Aly Khan. The dazzling necklace is set with amethysts, citrines, emeralds, pink tourmalines, sapphires and diamonds.

Costume designer Yates has previously partnered with Scott on his films Gladiator, American Gangster, Hannibal, Body of Lies and Prometheus, among others. In a statement for Gucci, Yates said that in dressing the members of the Gucci family, Scott had briefed her “to not go too over the top, but to emphasise their character traits”.

Lady Gaga in central Milan, Italy, on the set of the new Ridley Scott movie House of Gucci, in March 2021. Photo: AFP

That approach works to the advantage of the businesslike Maurizio, portrayed by Adam Driver in the classic British-influenced tailoring favoured by many an affluent Italian gent. The other leading Gucci men aren’t quite so fortunate, with Yates using costuming as an outward expression of personality flaws. In tandem with perceived miscasting, this has caused unhappiness among living members of the family.