April 23, 2021
Watch: Harry Styles Rocks Gucci's Jackie Bag in New Campaign
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Sexy British singer Harry Styles is part of Gucci's new ad campaign in which celebrities appear in mock episodes of "The Late Late Show" with James Corden. The real stars, of course, are the handbags, including the super-stylish Jackie bag, which Styles sports in the segment, Refinery 29 reports.
Refinery 29 noted that Styles appears in the ad clad in "a fluffy fur coat with an untied pussy-bow blouse, '70s-style wide-leg jeans, and an impressive lineup of cocktail rings."
All of that is merely the setting for the Gucci creation, however, which Refiner 29 reports is Styles' "go-to black Jackie bag, a style that the brand first introduced in the '60s before being reissued by Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele in his fall '20 collection.
"The bag, named after First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis, has, of late, become a staple in Styles' wardrobe," the article adds.
The ad looks like a snippet from an actual episode of the talk program, with Corden welcoming Styles to the set. A jump cut then skips ahead to a moment in which Corden laughingly teases that he'll spill the tea on "when I found you, it was quite late at night, outside, in the back of that diner."
As hoots from the audience rise, Styles says, "You wouldn't. You wouldn't. James..."
"Harry," Corden replies, relishing the threat.
As jocular as the fake talk show appearance is, Styles' fondness for Gucci's Jacki bag is authentic. As Refinery 29 notes, the singer "first took a liking to the Jackie bag in February 2020, when he was spotted outside of BBC Studios in London with one worn over his shoulder." On that occasion, Styles was wearing "a teal, embroidered jacket from Bode," which he donned again, months later, to show off how he'd accessorized with a Jackie bag of the same teal color as the jacket.
Styles is nothing if not on the leading edge of fashion and at the intersection of pop culture and couture; he's appeared on the cover of Vogue in a dress (prompting right-wing apoplexy) and dressed up as a trashy version of Ariel, the "Little Mermaid" from the beloved Disney animated musical. He's even reportedly preparing to play a film role as bisexual police offer in which – in one scene, at least – the haute couture he'll show off will be his own birthday suit.
But Styles' love for Gucci is so profound that it carries over into his artistic work; as reported at EDGE earlier this year, Styles featured Gucci styles in his music video "Treat People With Kindness," which co-starred Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Gucci and Hollywood seem to share a mutual love. The latest campaign, in addition to featuring Styles, also boasts the participation of Diane Keaton, Dakota Johnson, and Serena Williams, Refinery 29 noted - but fashion watchers observed a frisson of tension between the designer's heirs and Tinseltown with news that the Gucci family were concerned about Ridley Scott's feature "The House of Gucci," now in production, which delves into a murder-for-hire plot that put Gucci grandson Maurizio (played by Adam Driver) in the crosshairs of an assassin hired by Maurizio's wife, Patrizia Reggiani (played by Lady Gaga).
Watch the two-minute Gucci ad featuring Styles below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.