Photo: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Gucci
On Friday morning in Milan, Gucci sent a long list of celebrities — including Vivian Wilson, Emily Ratajkowski, Karlie Kloss, and Gabbriette — down the runway for its fall 2026 show. For the grand finale, Kate Moss closed out the show wearing a long-sleeve, sequined dress with an open back that revealed a thong, complete with a bedazzled logo clasp peeking out.
Tom Ford sent the first iteration of this stringy undergarment down the runway back in 1997 while presiding over a Gucci that became known for its hedonistic, grungy, sexually charged presence. Everything during Ford’s era, which spanned 1994 to 2004 — even the buttoned-up blouses and the low-rise slacks — was somehow erotic.
In the years that followed, the G-string became a coveted, high-fashion sex symbol. In 2018, Kim Kardashian posted photos of her wearing one all over Instagram; Hailey Bieber has referenced the look twice, most recently in a thong from Gucci and once via a knockoff by Alexander Wang. Right now, you can buy one secondhand (yum!) for $2,500.
The original 1997 Gucci G-string.
Photo: Giovanni Giannoni/Penske Media via Getty Images
It makes sense that Demna, who’s helmed Gucci for less than a year, would want to send this piece down the runway — Ford’s Gucci served as a beacon of cool and sensuality during his decade-long tenure and beyond. Not everyone is happy to see him lean so heavily on Ford’s archives, but at least it means this piece of fashion history gets a second coming.
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