Although it was significantly less buzzy than it might've been if one of the name-brand designers rumored to have been in the running had gotten the gig—Tisci, Kane, Altuzarra, Ford, even—Alessandro Michele's Gucci show today still qualified as a moment. Fashion loves a debut; consider all the unanswered questions: Would Michele take Gucci in the more daring direction Kering chief Fran�ois-Henri Pinault said was necessary for the cooling brand? Would his womenswear follow the androgynous lead of his hastily-put-together menswear show in January? What's with the mop of scruffy, shoulder-length hair? Beyond the curiosity factor, there's always a cross-your-fingers feeling to these occasions, and not just for the Gucci executives who want to put the company back in growth mode. We're all critics, but we love having someone new to cheerlead.

Gucci Group announced on Friday that its top two executives—creative director Frida Giannini and Chief Executive Patrizio di Marco—will be leaving the company early next year. The change in management comes after a period of declining sales as the pair struggled to revitalize the 93-year-old Florentine fashion house amid growing competition.

After six years at the helm, Di Marco will be replaced January 1 by Marco Bizzarri, who was named chief executive of Gucci’s parent company Kering's luxury couture and leather goods division last April. Giannini, who has been chief designer for more than 10 years, will leave in February, after showing her fall/winter 2015 collection. Her replacement has not yet been announced, and the news has sparked a fervent guessing game about who will become her successor.