GUCCI FW1997: SURVEILLANCE, SEDUCTION, AND THE MAKING OF A CULTURAL SHIFT

FROM THE ARCHIVES
2 min read

In the late 1990s, Mario Testino and Tom Ford formed a creative partnership that reshaped the visual language of fashion. Their work for Gucci wasn’t just about clothing; it was about atmosphere, desire, and control.

Fall/Winter 1997 arrived at a moment when the world was beginning to understand what it meant to be watched. “People had started to feel watched all the time,” Testino later recalled. “That gave me the idea to shoot a campaign that looked as though it had been captured on CCTV, a world where you’re never really alone.”

The result was one of the decade’s most striking campaigns. Stark stairwells, bare corridors, and tightly framed compositions replaced the traditional glamour of fashion imagery. The light was cold. The mood was tense. These weren’t promotional images; they were glimpses into a world on the edge of exposure.

At a time when fashion still chased gloss and perfection, Gucci FW97 did the opposite. It leaned into imperfection. The grain, the blur, the awkward angles all echoed a new aesthetic that felt voyeuristic yet cinematic. It looked like surveillance, but it was control, a reflection of how power and allure were shifting.

Casting was central. Ford had a clear sense of who he wanted, but as Testino has noted, it was about presence, not polish. The models don’t simply pose. They occupy space. Watched, but self-possessed. Observed, but in charge.

Mario Testino Gucci 1997 campaign featuring stark architectural background Model framed against an industrial interior from the Gucci Fall/Winter 1997 campaign by Mario Testino. The sharp lines and cool lighting create a cinematic study of beauty and power.
Gucci Fall/Winter 1997 campaign photographed by Mario Testino for Tom Ford. Two male models against a brick wall in Gucci’s Fall/Winter 1997 campaign, photographed by Mario Testino under Tom Ford’s direction. The lighting is stark and cinematic, evoking a CCTV aesthetic that defined the campaign’s voyeuristic tone.
Gucci FW1997 group shot photographed by Mario Testino for Tom Ford. Group image from Mario Testino’s 1997 Gucci campaign. Models are positioned in a dimly lit corridor, their poses minimal and controlled, reflecting the campaign’s themes of visibility and seduction.
Gucci FW1997 group shot photographed by Mario Testino for Tom Ford. A red boots/shoe captured with a shadow behind it, from Mario Testino’s 1997 Gucci campaign. Models are positioned in a dimly lit corridor, their poses minimal and controlled, reflecting the campaign’s themes of visibility and seduction.
Mario Testino Gucci 1997 campaign featuring stark architectural background. Model framed against an industrial interior wearing a red Gucci dress, from the Gucci Fall/Winter 1997 campaign by Mario Testino. The sharp lines and cool lighting create a cinematic study of beauty and power.
Close-up of model from Mario Testino’s Gucci FW1997 campaign. Portrait of a model styled by Tom Ford for Gucci FW1997, in Gucci monogram print jacket and bag captured by Mario Testino. The image’s cropped frame and bold contrast suggest intimacy, tension, and control.
Close-up of model from Mario Testino’s Gucci FW1997 campaign. Close portrait of two models styled by Tom Ford for Gucci FW1997, captured by Mario Testino. The image’s cropped frame and bold contrast suggest intimacy, tension, and control.
Close-up of model from Mario Testino’s Gucci FW1997 campaign. Close portrait of a model styled by Tom Ford for Gucci FW1997, captured by Mario Testino. The image’s cropped frame and bold contrast suggest intimacy, tension, and control.
Close-up of model from Mario Testino’s Gucci FW1997 campaign. Close portrait of a model kissing the feet of another model who is wearing a red Gucci shoe by Tom Ford for Gucci FW1997, captured by Mario Testino. The image’s cropped frame and bold contrast suggest intimacy, tension, and control.
Close-up of model from Mario Testino’s Gucci FW1997 campaign. Close portrait of a model styled by Tom Ford for Gucci FW1997, captured by Mario Testino. The image’s cropped frame and bold contrast suggest intimacy, tension, and control.

The campaign landed in a world already changing. Reality television, tabloid culture, and the early internet were fuelling a fascination with access and exposure. Testino and Ford caught that tension early. What they made wasn’t just a campaign, it was a signal.

Seen today, the images feel uncannily familiar. In a time defined by surveillance, self-archiving, and constant visibility, Gucci FW97 reads like a preview of the present. The idea of being watched is no longer metaphor; it’s everyday life.

And that’s the power of Testino’s vision. He doesn’t just photograph what fashion looks like; he captures what the world feels like just before it changes.

CREDITS: STYLIST: CARINE ROITFELD. MAKEUP: TOM PECHEUX. HAIR: MARC LOPEZ

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