Emilio Pucci

Emilio Pucci was no ordinary designer. He was an aristocrat, a fighter pilot, a war hero, an Olympic skier, and later, a wildly successful designer, a politician, and a winemaker.

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The Aristocrat

Marchese di Barsento Emilio Pucci was born to an aristocratic Florentine family on November 20, 1914 in Naples, Italy. Pucci was a dedicated member of the Italian Olympic ski team. His dedication was recognized when he won a skiing scholarship to Reed College in Oregon in 1935. He causally tried his hand at design by creating his ski team’s uniforms. He graduated from Reeds College with the class of 1937. He went on to earn a doctorate in political science in 1941 at the University of Florence.


Emilio’s First Steps

In 1947, Pucci was photographed by Toni Frissel, a photographer working for Harper's Bazaar, wearing skiwear he had designed himself. Upon learning this, Frissel's editor asked Pucci to design the skiwear for a story on European Winter Fashion, which ran in the winter 1948 issue of the Bazaar. This exposure encouraged Pucci to start creating and selling clothes for women. He decided to open a couture house in 1950 on the Isle of Capri, and his introduction of “capri pants” closely followed, taking the fashion world by storm. Being born into a wealthy family, he was the first Pucci to actually work in over 1,000 years, and What started out as a need to design new and more functional skiwear for his ski team became a fashion empire for Emilio Pucci.


The Family

In 1959, Emilio Pucci married Cristina Nannini, and their daughter Alessandro was born the same year. Their second daughter Laudomia was born in 1961. Pucci's showcased his first haute couture collection in 1962, and he mentioned that it was homage to Jacqueline Kennedy. Pucci led the way for the colourful revolution of the 60's.

Marchese di Barsento Emilio Pucci later became a politician and was elected as a member of the Italian parliament in 1965. Upon his retirement from the political life, Pucci began labeling and selling the wine produced on his estate in Chianti, owned by the Pucci family since the 13th century.


Novelty and Color

Pucci used his life experiences to direct his fashions. He was known as a gentleman athlete, gained a reputation as a notorious lover and dashing adventurer. He was also known for his participation in the war. And was among the post-WWII couturiers who made the world conscious of the distinction of Italian design. After the war, there was an obvious hunger for color, novelty and newness. Knowing this, Pucci incorporated a kaleidoscope of color that had not been possible before by urging chemical companies to develop a broader range of vibrant hues. He came to be known as the “Prince of Prints,” designing slacks, shirts and dresses in vivid and startling color combinations. His wild geometrics and multi-colored flowing designs replaced the tame prints that had been more typical. His designs revolutionized the world of fashion, knocking the previous trend of dull colors and heavy fabrics on its ear and developing a fan following that was almost unheard of at the time.


“Emilio”

Pucci applied this vision of color in every category: evening wear, ready-to-wear, swimwear, accessories, shoes and home décor. He drew the hundreds of print designs for each collection himself, and he signed all of his creations with “Emilio” to spare his family honor. He was even asked to design the Apollo 15 space mission logo, as well as Ford Lincoln Continental.


Casualness not Carelessness

Pucci also drew from his viewpoint as an active sportsman in his designs, introducing Capri pants worn with printed silk shirts and colorful knit dresses that were a fresh alternative to the artificially-structured silhouette prominent in the 1950s. He also created his own line of softer undergarments to go with them. He believed in casualness not carelessness.

His designs were worn by countless celebrities, such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Grace Kelly, Isabella Rossellini and Jennifer Lopez.


Pucci Retirement

In 1990 Emilio Pucci retired from active design work. On behalf of her father, his daughter, Laudomia Pucci, received the Council of Fashion Designers of America Award in New York in 1991. Pucci won many other awards for his innovative style, including two from Neiman-Marcus in 1954 and 1967 for "distinguished service" in the field of fashion.

Pucci was a man of many talents. He was an aristocrat, a fighter pilot, a war hero, an Olympic skier, and later, a wildly successful designer, a politician, and a winemaker. The CFDA-award winner died in 1992 at the age 78. His 30 year old son, the Marchese Alessandro Pucci di Barsento, took over the running of the family business and estates. Sadly his reign was short lived. Alessandro was killed in a car accident in 2000 near Florence, Italy.


The Revival

Pucci now lives on, under the guidance of his daughter who holds the position of image director and Christian Lacroix who was recently named the artistic director and is a good match for the brand, considering his mastery of color and affection for sixties and seventies styling. Together, they are enjoying a revival of Pucci’s earlier accomplishments and his ever-growing popularity.

The clothes which Emilio Pucci designed over the years are valued immensely and vintage gowns are treasured, for the style that made its name in the 50's and 60's has become the subject of both private and museum collections and his influence on textiles and prints is still very relevant in today's world of couture fashion. It is obvious that it was Pucci’s combination of elegance and excitement that resulted in his tremendous success.


Sources

http://www.phxart.org/exhibitions/pucci.asp

http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/emiliopucci/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Pucci

http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/emiliopucci.html

http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=867

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/fashion/emilio-pucci.asp



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