When I think dream of Gucci, what usually comes to mind is:

Instead of THIS:

But when in Rome Florence you can now dine out Gucci-style.  It appears that the latest trend is mixing famous high-end fashion houses with cuisine.

The Italian fashion house has opened a 50-seat restaurant, Gucci Osteria, in Florence where three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura will serve up high-end dishes.

The Gucci restaurant is sited behind the walls of the 14th century Palazzo della Mercanzia building, overlooking the city’s most famous square, Piazza della Signoria. Visitors can treat themselves to the likes of Parmigiano Reggiano tortellini, Peruvian-inspired tostadas, pork belly buns and mushroom risotto for €20 to €30 euros per dish.

Few strategies come without an element of risk, however.

*Bernstein analyst Mario Ortelli said that if luxury companies did not provide a gastronomic experience that matched their other goods, it could dilute their brands. “The experience has to be luxurious and recognizable,” he said.  At least fashionably plated right?

“Food is luxury as much as fashion,” said Stefano Cantino, strategic marketing director at Prada, which owns exclusive Milan patisserie Marchesi.

“Barriers have been broken.”

The Gucci Osteria restaurant is part of “Gucci Garden,” which includes an exhibition area, a bazaar-like boutique and a cinema room. “Haute couture and haute cuisine are a recipe made in heaven,” chef Bottura told reporters.

So if you can’t have that special Gucci bag or pair of loafers you can always get a loaf of Gucci bread.   But to do so, you still have to get to Florence.

btw, just because you asked….this is my new favorite neutral:

Source: businessoffashion.com

*Bernstein is widely recognized as Wall Street’s premier sell-side research and brokerage firm, with a global equity trading platform that spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia.