Pucci appoints Williamson

The appointment of British designer Matthew Williamson as Emilio Pucci's creative director has been made official. Williamson had been rumoured to take the position when Christian Lacroix announced his departure from the label last week. Lacroix designed for Pucci for three years.

Williamson will continue to design his signature label when he takes on his new position. His first collection for Pucci will be unveiled at the autumn/winter 2007 shows in February. “We liked the soft, glamorous kind of attitude that Matthew developed for his own line, and his sense of colour and femininity,” said Catherine Vautrin, chief executive of Pucci.

“I think Matthew was a very interesting idea and choice,” said Laudomia Pucci, daughter of founder Emilio Pucci, and image director of the company. “We loved his colours, prints, his freshness and also his jet-set-y lifestyle. I think that really complements Pucci.” She added that Lacroix had been a great designer and had gone out with a bang after his recent, successful show for the label. Since he joined Pucci in 2002, sales had quadrupled.

www.pucci.com
4 October 2005

Pucci's a stunner in Milan

Notwithstanding Christian Lacroix's imminent departure from Pucci, he managed to create a stunning last collection, which was unveiled in Milan on Tuesday.

Elaborating on the famous Pucci print, which has represented jet set glamour since its inception in the fifties, Lacroix sent his models down the catwalk in ton-sur-ton embroidered cotton summer dresses, print tops and dresses and trousers in vibrant turquoises and hot pinks, and sheer silk blouson kaftans cinched on the hip. He added to the repertoire with monochromatic basics, such as tops, shorts, trousers and skirts.

A surprising addition was a striking gold trench. He also included a gorgeous, cut-away black evening dress and sheer, voile lavish column dress in pale turquoise with beading around the décolleté. His silhouettes were decidedly sixties, recalling the glamour of Jackie O and Marella Agnelli. Baby-doll tops were slightly more fitted around the chest than we saw this past summer, with more of a focus on the waist.

The scene depicted was one of old-fashioned glamour and downright prettiness, expressed so well in the countless evening and day-time dresses, designed to bring out the best in its wearers.

Meanwhile, Marni also unveiled its spring summer 2006 collection on Tuesday. The collection by Consuelo Castiglioni was another study in accidental fashion must-have items. A compilation of odd shapes that combine to create a casual yet sophisticated silhouette that has copycats in jitters is by now a Marni trademark. Roomy dusters in charcoal greys, chocolate brown and in ochre with a dainty flower print cinched at the waist, over loose skirts and three-quarter length spacious tops appeared along with long, empire-waist, column dresses in greens and shades of dark washes of blue. Short, unstructured jackets with wide raglan sleeves stopping mid-forearm, reminiscent of the fifties, were also popular again.

Tuesday also saw the unveiling of collections by Prada and Alberta Ferretti. Monday's shows included Emporio Armani, Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti, Pollini by Rifat Ozbek and D&G. Bottega Veneta and Burberry Prorsum, Jil Sander, Giorgio Armani, Gucci and Missoni unveiled their collections on Wednesday.

Pucci Galore

The name Pucci is synonimous with colour; a wealth of bright colours and prints to lift you out of the blackest of moods. The Pucci print has been around for years, and fashion - contemporary or otherwise - is unthinkable without it. During Milan Fashion Week next month, the Vintage Spirit Multistore in Milan will showcase a collection of 50 Emilio Pucci vintage creations.

The collection will consist of ready-to-wear pieces, accessories, eyewear, swimwear and innerwear pieces that were designed by Pucci especially for the American market in the 1960s. “We felt this was the right moment for a Pucci exhibition,” Angelo Caroli – a major collector of Pucci for 18 years who is lending the pieces to the boutique – told WWD. “There are peaks for most designers, but Pucci is always up there. His colours and patterns are recognizable, and those who followed never had the same strength or use of colour.”

Caroli keeps over 50,000 vintage creations from various designers in his “ Vintage Palace ” in Lugo di Romagna, off the Adriatic coast. According to him, Pucci still has an incredible influence because he is so powerful. “Influential designers may wane for a while, but they always eventually come back,” he said. Pucci was a master of creating head-to-toe looks. Everything from the hat and the coat to the accessories were meant to be worn together in a way that is almost unthinkable today. These days we're told that we should combine different prints and designers. Wearing one print all the way through is a fashion no-no.

The Vintage Spirit Multistore, which opened a year ago in Piazza Cantore, is one of the largest, high-quality vintage stores in Milan . Its collection includes pieces from Hermes to Christian, Burberry to Church's. The boutique has been known to hold various events focusing on different aspects of fashion and design history. In April, it held an event focusing on the use of plastic and synthetic materials during the furniture and design fair Salone dei Mobile. The exhibition will run from 23 September to 2 October.

www.emiliopucci.com
11 August 2005

Pucci Foundation

Laudomia Pucci, daughter of the late Emilio Pucci, has been sifting through the family archives in a new project where the extensive fashion history of the family-owned label will be on show to the public in Florence, Italy. Acting as the role of curator for the past four years, Laudomia is cataloguing everything the family has in an effort to open the family's first foundation. There is so much product, apparently, that there is enough to fill four large newly restored rooms on the ground floor of Palazzo Pucci in Florence.

Interest in the family's rich fashion history has inspired the city's Galleria del Costume to host an exhibition of 62 unpublished drawings by Emilio Pucci in celebration of the foundation's opening. The collection is vast - from accessories and scarves to perfumes, sketches, photographs, carpets and other paraphernalia. Think too of historical garments such as printed terry kaftans, jersey dresses and tiny hot pants. There are even items worn by Marilyn Monroe, who was an avid fan of the brand back in the 50s.

For Pucci fans, fashion historians and journalists alike, the Pucci foundation is definitely worth a visit. Housed in a beautiful nineteen-century palazzo, visitors we will see first-hand how Pucci used to work and be given an insight into the old techniques. The Pucci archives span from 1947 to the present. Laudomia's aim is to constantly add to the Foundation, making it a work in progress. For more information please contact the Pucci Foundation on +39 055 261 841

13 October 2004

Multi, Multi, Multi!

Summer is about being bold. Wearing hot colours and wild patterns will get you noticed wherever you go. Attention-grabbing prints, such as Pucci's multicoloured kaftans, are high on the list when the sun is shining and the city's ensconced in its heat. For the beach, try Pucci's cutaway swimsuits in glorious multi peacock colours. For more details, contact 020 7201 8171.

29 June 2004

Pucci Back On Track

At the height of its popularity in the 60s, Pucci's trademark geometric prints were all the rage. Worn by Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, they were hottest brand among the international jetset. Apollo 15 astronauts carried the Italian designer's colorful patterns into space, and, legend has it, Marilyn Monroe was buried wearing Pucci.

Come the 80s, women preferred neutral-colored structured suits to Pucci's fluid psychedelic shifts, and after Emilio Pucci's death in 1992 the label went dormant. Now, the 60-year-old brand has been acquired by LVMH and is undergoing a radical transformation, starting with a new store opening in London.

Designed by Christian Lacroix, Pucci is seeking to retain its trademark psychedelic-print heritage, with plans to expand it to a lifestyle appeal including menswear, skiwear and home-furnishings. With LVMH taking control of production and widening its product range, Pucci will no doubt be taken beyond its summer niche look. In term of timing, it couldn't be better, as geometric prints are everywhere this fall.

Pucci is available from a selection at Browns.

27 August 2003

Pucci Comes to London

Emilio Pucci will open its first UK boutique on London's Sloane Street as part of a double deal for LVMH, the label's owner. Pucci was formed in 1947 and is known for its signature colour prints. Currently housing nine stores around the globe, the collection can be found in the UK in only ten high profile accounts.

Pucci will trade from 170 Sloane Street from mid-September. LVMH UK managing director Xavier de Royere backed the launch despite testing conditions in the luxury goods sector.

LVMH has further agreed to open a 7,500sq ft Louis Vuitton store on the corner of Sloane Street and Harriet Street. The store is a relocation and will open next year to coincide with Vuitton's 150th anniversary and feature the new store design. Vuitton has eight stores in the UK and Ireland.

14 July 2003