It was already going to be an emotional show for team Pucci as they bid farewell to Peter Dundas but I don’t think anyone anticipated such a palpable feeling of finality until the melancholy of Led Zeppelin’s Babe I Don’t Wanna Leave You filled the room. He may well not want to leave, but what a phenomenal exit he made. This was a stellar show from all angles, the room was packed, the front row was emotional, the casting was unbelievable and the procession of gold, red, velvet and printed illustration he presented came together in the kind of climax fashion week dreams are made of. Karlie Kloss, Lily Donaldson and Joan Smalls were (seriously) only a few of the supers walking for Dundas’ last hurrah and in the small, heaving room at the top of Palazzo Serballoni the intimacy and emotion made their eyes sparkle and skin glow in a way only true atmosphere can.
The clothes were rich and romantic as usual but this girl was cooler and bolder than when in the floaty floral and burnt orange suede of last season. While the two opening looks felt immediately retro with their bold monochrome patterns and high glittering boots, the collection that followed wasn’t one that felt dominated by nostalgia. Velvet was made cool again on wide trousers and long coats and then at once became undone and glamorous on night sky navy mini-dress emblazoned with gold star-signs. The drama didn’t stop there; when Lily Donaldson emerged, regal as ever, in a floor-skimming cape embroidered with gold you could hear cheering all the way down the runway. A predictably emotional finale left us wondering what Pucci are planning for their next move, while for Dundas rumours of a role at Cavalli have been not-so-quietly whispered across Milan and beyond. Nobody left the room after the show finished and instead of rushing off to the oblivion of their black Mercedes they chose instead to stay, congratulate and commiserate with the team. After this heightened, magical show Dundas really might not want to leave Pucci – but boy what a way to go.
