Does the sum of a vast, sometimes disparate range of covetable, luxurious pieces make a collection? Yes, according to Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele. The designer continued his very personal path to reshaping the brand’s image, delivering a pre-fall collection that channeled a wide scope of themes and motifs, many carried over from his past efforts. The result was chaotic coherence. Like a modern Lewis Carroll, Michele re-created a pretty, surreal wonderland, where the childlike met the opulent, the casual was juxtaposed with the regal. Michele didn’t invent new shapes, but explored the decorative possibilities of women’s fashion staples. A midi skirt came in plisséd metallic leather. Bomber jackets were done in patchwork silk and satin in various patterns, then decorated with Lurex details that featured Gucci’s signature striped Web motif. Printed shirtdresses came in retro-inspired graphics and botanical motifs. Nature is one of Michele’s ongoing fixations, with flowers and wild animals, including the now-familiar tigers and snakes, embroidered on flamboyant knits, exquisite maxidresses and high-end denim pieces. They latter served as a preciously casual counterpoint to the hyper-luxe outerwear: opulent floral jacquard coats trimmed with fur, mink coats printed with stripes, stars, hearts and moons, and colorful astrakhan cropped jackets and capes trimmed in mink. The overall result was extremely appealing in its overwhelming abundance.