This was Massimo Giorgetti’s first runway show for Emilio Pucci. His first collection for the house was actually resort 2016, which he showed a couple of months ago. I was impressed and excited by the pre-collection. Gone are the days of Peter Dundas and Matthew Williamson’s tenure - and I think it was about time that those particular yachts set sail. While what they did was perfectly in step with what the house should have been at the time, today demands a more eccentric look.
The character of Milan is shifting. It is no longer Prada and Marni that stand for intellectual eclecticism. Gucci now also wants to be part of that subversive bookish gang, and Pucci is perfectly placed to join the new vanguard. Giorgetti has not earned membership yet, but I hope he does. The combination of some great marabou feather flat sandals, placed with a sporty black and white op art dress showed promise. These looks may not have been the most successful in the world, but the intention is an encouraging one. Breaking the formulaic approach to this print based house, with its roots in the glamourous scene of seventies Capri, will be challenging. Within both, this collection and within his resort debut, Giorgetti is using far less prints than you would expect, but this is no bad thing. If a designer were to rely too heavily on digital print, designs could look dated - with the technique having been such a fashion phenomenon a few years ago. Instead, he made the wise move to translate the house's prints via embroidery and structure.
No doubt moved by the strong brand history in iconic swimwear, along with Emilio Pucci’s love for the ocean, Giorgetti trawled the seas to bring us pieces inspired by the big blue. Mesh griddled trousers like nets had appliqué embroidered starfish, crabs and turtles caught upon them. They were playful, but not for everyone.
Some of the collection still felt a little bit undefined; the appearance of sliced slip dresses and skirts felt a bit like a design cop out - and a hang over from Peter Dundas’s tenure. Giorgetti’s resort collection was the best when he played with colour swatches from prints, and ribboned them into woven fabrics – so to present Pucci’s oeuvre in a new way. It was the same here too. His work with chiffon and scarf prints as mediums, upon which he can paint a canvas, is where the potential lies.
