How Emilio Pucci Became the Prince of Prints
The Italian designer's vibrant designs were a symbol of jet-set culture in the 1960s, worn by Hollywood stars, heiresses, and royalty.
Fluid shapes, kaleidoscopic motifs, and bright colors: If Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking liberated women, then Marquis Emilio Pucci's garments gave her freedom of movement more than fifteen years earlier. The Italian designer's exquisite garments floated over the figure with lively shades and light fabrics, and this particular creative vision would lead him to lay the foundations of one of the most transcendent fashion houses in history.
The story began in 1947, when Pucci, born in 1914 to one of the oldest families in Florence, spent his days jet setting between his family palace, the Swiss Alps, and the exclusive resorts of the most glamorous Italian island of the time: Capri. Transmuting between these magical destinations, Pucci encountered a new wave of active women who had left post-war restrictions behind and were enjoying a newfound freedom.
Pucci, who was a great athlete and ski fan, designed a streamlined, feminine ski outfit which ended up on the pages of a major magazine. It wasn't long before the designer opened his first boutique in 1950, naturally, in Capri.
The boutique was a vibrant space where movie stars, heiresses, and royalty mingled. Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, actress Sophia Loren, and Jackie Kennedy were among his main clients. The garments were inspired by Mediterranean landscapes, a sophisticated combination of bright shades of lemon yellow, bougainvillea pink, lilac, azure blue, and pistachio green. Women from all over the world found in their silk scarves, light two-piece suits, and sensual tight dresses an escape from the restrictive fashions of the time.
The revolution had begun, and the press dubbed the designer "the prince of prints" for his unique graphic motifs that fused abstract drawings, geometric figures, and patterns inspired by Palio of Siena, Bali Batiks, and African and Sicilian mosaics. Each piece was signed with the designer's name, Emilio, in his own handwriting.
After Pucci's succes thanks to the brand's innovative textiles, the desiger expanded into homeware, sportswear and a selection of accessories.
Now, Taschen is releasing an expansive collection of drawings, photographs, and archive images from the Emilio Pucci Foundation. The oversized book invites us to travel to Pucci's aesthetic universe through the words of Vanessa Friedman, a writer who offers an extraordinary vision of the life of an extraordinary man. The book is bound with an original printed fabric from the Emilio Pucci collection, and the book begins with a new prologue by Laudomia Pucci, heir to her father's legacy.
