The heavy-on-the-daywear aesthetic of Massimo Giorgetti might seem the polar opposite of the glamorous jet-setting Emilio Pucci, yet this young Italian designer shares the same fascination with sports and leisurewear found in the house’s original work, and, importantly, an affinity for breaking rules.
“I really think you need to break with what’s gone before,” Giorgetti said at the company’s Milan showroom, referring to his much-debated debut runway collection for the Florentine brand last September. He’s certainly not shirking the new thing, and his Pre-Fall episode—he refers to his collections as if they were segments of a TV series—offered a poised viewpoint, leapfrogging Pucci’s historical connotations and reanimating them as original fashion content for a new generation.
To start, he nicely reprised the house’s skiwear roots as a series of modern fitted sweaters with V necklines. Keeping the collection’s overall silhouette sharp and oversize, he opened up traditional tailored pieces, like cashmere overcoats with elongated slits, and added amply cut separates to the mix.
Many well-considered tweaks to the label’s original designs included its trademark pajamas. He’s intent on easing the Pucci crowd both old and new into voluminous versions of the silk suit. Discussing his outerwear—printed parkas, bombers, and down jackets—he said they “wouldn’t have looked out of place on our mothers in Cortina.” Maybe, if your family photographs resemble a Slim Aarons montage, but they will certainly hold their own on today’s kaleidoscopic street style scene. The same goes for his playful fur pieces. A standout coat consisted of vertical strips of colored fox that hinted at Frank Stella’s linear stripes.
Giorgetti took a graphic sensibility to archive prints, including one of quills reimagined as macramé or as embroidered feathers on denim and a cashmere cape. And he embraced the house’s original zany spark in the reprisal of a whimsical archive pattern depicting a lipsticked pout inspired by a drunken (or should that be merry?) lady spied during a jaunt to Barcelona.
The finale looks were exuberantly sequined. Evening dresses had a louche ’70s air reminiscent of Pucci’s leisure-loving clientele, which included very pretty flowing dresses with capelike bodices. Micro-paillette-studded turtleneck tops and polo shirts looked like smart after-dark options. But it was the daywear here that sticks in one’s mind.
