Emilio Pucci has been on a soul-searching journey lately, struggling to find a voice and a balance between its historic past and a vision strong enough to be relevant in today’s fragmented and challenging fashion landscape. Its stunning archive, replete with possibly the most recognizable prints ever created, is a priceless asset, one that many fashion houses would pay millions to have—yet at the same time it could prove a creative burden, as overpowering as it is unique. The design team now in charge of the collections is trying its best to negotiate this rocky territory.
For Pre-Fall, archival references were played out with a sense of fun and a certain free-spirited irreverence. The inspiration was loosely based on an exotic sea cruise; yet the most interesting part was the contrasting take on silhouettes and the use of solid black as a strong statement, breaking the riotous flow of kinetic prints. Shapes alternated between a sensual fluidity (geometric T-shirt printed dresses adjusting softly to the body) and a sexier, contouring body-con approach. Segueing from the Spring collection, a stretchy, seamless, high-tech jacquard fabric (produced with a no-waste technique) was brought into play in a series of black leggings, tight wrapped tops baring the back or elongated ankle-length tube-dresses that would make Kim Kardashian West and the like very happy.
At the other end of the spectrum, prints were given a distorted, almost hallucinogenic feel; an allover-printed styling option was embraced boldly, with leggings matching sweatshirts, minidresses or updated versions of the famous Marilyn T-shirt dress. It wasn’t intended for wallflowers or the faint of heart. But to cut through the noise, it’s better to be loud than sotto voce, is it not?
