A few days after his men’s presentation at Pitti Uomo, Fausto Puglisi was still in quite a hype, clearly elated by the brouhaha stirred up by his use of the muscle-bound “detenuti,” or detainees, and heavily tattooed soccer players in his Spring capsule collection. The scene inside a quiet Milanese studio where he was shooting Ungaro’s Resort lookbook was different entirely. From ex-cons and sexy centurions to a French maison is quite a stretch. Puglisi is a force of nature, if ever there were one.
The designer’s dialogue with Ungaro’s archive is now well established; the storied house’s codes seem to have a natural resonance with Puglisi’s aesthetic. For Resort, he worked on a sculpted silhouette, short and sharply tailored, grounded by the strong shoulders that were an ’80s hallmark, obviously reshuffled with a contemporary cut. “Ungaro was not only masquerade, theatricality, and excess; he was about extraordinary execution,” Puglisi said. He kept shapes neat, toning down the pouf factor; even the signature draping looked pristine, as did volants, flounces, and plissé. Floral prints had a graphic slant, and a techno element infused nylon parkas and blousons worn with high-waisted pants or miniskirts. “I wanted a conversation with modernity,” he enthused, pointing out an ultra-short evening dress in bright cobalt blue gazar with a dramatic sculpted asymmetrical ruffle sprouting out from one shoulder. “You could easily wear it with Havaianas!”
