Emilio Pucci

Pucci fashions are immediately identified by their dynamic prints and vivid, unusual color combinations. “First people thought it was crazy; then people were crazy for it,” recalled the label’s founder, Emilio Pucci. Born in 1914, Pucci was an Italian aristocrat who had never intended to join the fashion industry. His early designs were inadvertently discovered on the ski slopes of Switzerland, where the colorful sportswear worn by Pucci and a female companion caught the eye of Harper’s Bazaar photographer Toni Frisell. The photographs appeared in the magazine in 1948, and luxury retailer Lord and Taylor began selling Pucci’s work soon thereafter.

It was atypical for someone of Pucci’s social status to become a fashion designer, but his understanding of the leisured, upper-class lifestyle contributed to his success. Throughout the 1950s, Pucci’s relaxed yet sophisticated clothes became increasingly fashionable among jet setters. Styles made in his signature lightweight, wrinkle-free, silk jersey were ideal for travel. His clothing was also acclaimed for its comfort and lack of structure, which was in contrast to many 1950s styles. “Women must move with elegance and freedom,” Pucci proclaimed.

Pucci’s work became synonymous with the youthful vitality of the 1960s, even though his expressive, self-designed prints had predated the trends for Op Art and bright colors. Unlike many designers of the era, however, Pucci created flattering clothing for women of all ages. “There were few gathers, tucks, or pleats to hide anything,” wrote Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown, “but the prints themselves camouflaged, and the cut was ample.” The fashion press nicknamed Pucci “The Prince of Prints,” and his acclaim was such that he was asked to design everything from pot holders to airline uniforms, all of which he infused with his vibrant, joyful style.

“Puccimania” waned over the next two decades, but Emilio Pucci witnessed the revival of his fashion label shortly before his death in 1992. At that time, his daughter, Laudomia, took over the business. Under her direction, designers such as Christian Lacroix, Matthew Williamson, Peter Dundas, and most recently Massimo Giorgetti, have continued the brand’s legacy.