Making good on the promise of his sexy debut, Peter Dundas turned out a sizzling collection for Spring/Summer at Emilio Pucci. It is, of course, the season the house was made for, having been established on jet-set Capri in the 1960's, but it also doesn't hurt that Dundas is an avid scuba diver. The underwater universe produced some aqueous prints that also formed the basis of allover-sequined dresses. Neoprene diving suits informed a few long-sleeve minidresses with curve-enhancing mesh insets. And there were some gorgeous shades of blue, like the bold royal of a suede cocktail number with metallic beads arching over one shoulder, and a cropped beaded jacket worn with pirate pants in deepest midnight.
Some of the hottest swimwear of the season strutted down the narrow runway. One or two in snakeskin aren't advisable for actually getting wet; and with their signature prints and cutouts galore, the others might have made the house's founder blush (that is, if it weren't for the glam cover-ups). But Dundas was thinking beyond the beach: A couple of leggy dresses with sequins and feather trim looked destined for the Croisette in Cannes. He also extended the warranty on the short-in-front, long-in-back evening look, showing one in gold lamé and another in billowy white silk. The season's all-important jacket? He cuts a mean one: cropped, fitted, with lean arms and a flippy hem. Backstage, Dundas said he had wanted to work with easier volumes and loosen up the silhouettes a bit, but there's little doubt that his Pucci girl remains a predator-shark type.
