The Emilio Pucci spirit is characterized by easy sophistication, slightly blasé and nonchalant; a summer-loving flair for holidays on private yachts and secluded beaches, for alfresco lunches in elegant seaside villas. For Resort, the label’s creative team, which has been designing the collection for a few seasons now, tapped into this notion of luxurious wanderlust. This season the globetrotting Pucci woman opted for a trip to Polynesia, as seen through the saturated colors and exotic atmospheres of Paul Gauguin’s paintings, which were translated into rich, abstract prints. The place’s lush vegetation and its bold-patterned textiles were the compelling visual backbone of the collection.
The offer, which looked edited and slightly condensed compared to previous proposals, was built around versatile pieces that transition from day to night. A printed dress in silk jersey made famous by Marilyn Monroe was reimagined as a long-sleeve T-shirt minidress, embellished with sequined fringes conveying a liquid, shimmering feel. It’d look good paired with denim pants for day, or with bare legs and heels for a night out.
Outerwear in solid colors (shorts-suits with elongated blazers, and cape coats and trench coats in shades of sand white, deep-sea blue, and coral) was introduced to rhythmically break the bold intensity of the printed surfaces of short chiffon dresses and billowing caftans, silk twill pajama suits, and full-circle skirts paired with matching tops. The slim, neat silhouette was counterbalanced by a pleated tulle skirt, decorated with colorful printed silk-twill ribbons and paired with a T-shirt knitted in thin lurex, or by a long evening dress in silver fil coupé, ruched on the sides and printed in delicate pastel hues.
Beachwear was a consistent proposal, as it should be at a label with a flair for upscale leisure à la Slim Aarons. Flattering one-piece swimsuits and tiny bikinis came printed and three-dimensionally embellished, worn under glamorous caftans in see-through lace or with pareo-inspired wrapped skirts. Pucci’s strong points were reworked in a more streamlined, concise way here. It could be a positive step for the label’s future. In order to be relevant to younger customers, it needs to focus on a cohesive creative vision, blending a modern, pragmatic approach with its unique heritage for luxurious joie de vivre.