Harry Styles's "HA HA HA" Gucci Collection Offers Little Laughter

This morning in Milan, Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele (no relation to Lea) announced a new capsule collaboration with his friend and muse, dapper fashionista Harry Styles. Available in October, the collection, titled “HA HA HA,” consists of 25 looks that are perfect for dressing like a baby going to a wedding.

“HA HA HA” — isn’t that the sound of laughter? Well, look a little closer. “H” is actually the first letter of Harry’s name, and “A” is the first letter of Alessandro’s name. That’s sort of the intellectual level at which this collection is operating, though Michele also specified that they wanted to “evoke” the cry-laughing emoji. Also: the two often end their text-based conversations with “Hahaha.” I don’t know about you, but when I type “Hahaha,” what I mean is that whatever my texting partner just said was not funny and I also want the conversation to end. Maybe this is different in Europe.

I’m no fashion journalist, but Styles’s fun in the sun sensibilities have grown wearisome after his lackluster third album. It grows increasingly clear that Styles and his music have little to say — about love, dating, clothes, the modern world, anything. It’s fine if he wants to be private about his relationship with Olivia Wilde or his marriage to Louis Tomlinson, but it’s another thing to keep throwing up a peace sign in a smiley face t-shirt and pretending it’s in any way interesting. There’s only one guy for whom that works, and it's Ringo Starr, who’s more than earned it.

Styles has made headlines in the past for his willingness to wear dresses and skirts, though little of that gender-flexible playfulness transcends to the cut and fit of the collection, mostly of bright-colored patterned suits and wide-legged pants. For all of the cherries and rabbits and hearts, there’s not really all that much that’s fun about these clothes. The repetitive 70s throwbacks and fruity detailing feel largely on-trend, a resounding “okay.” Perhaps this is because, for all his lauding, Styles lacks a genuinely interesting point of view. Hahaha!