Emilio Pucci Biography
Emilio Pucci (1914 - 1992) By the mid-1960s, the international fashion press, enamored of his dazzling scarves and form-fitting dresses in sensual psychedelic silk jersey, had dubbed the Florentine designer Emilio Pucci the Prince of Prints. Less well known is that, starting in the early 1950s, Pucci applied his colorful, abstract patterns to static angular mediums such as ceramics, flooring, and furniture, infusing them with movement, not to mention glamour. He was the first designer to enter the lifestyle market, founding the successful brand that exists today. Born in 1914 to one of Italy's oldest noble families, Emilio Pucci, Marquis Pucci of Barsento, was a member of the post-war international jet set, hopping from beach to mountain to city. His fashion career began unexpectedly in 1947, when he created a revolutionary stretch ski suit that was photographed on the Swiss slopes for Harper's Bazaar. Eschewing a life of aristocratic glamour, the self-taught Pucci opened a boutique on Capri dedicated to simple resort wear (think capri pants) that evoked the rolling waves of the Mediterranean and bright, refreshing colors. Signed with what Vogue International editor Suzy Menkes calls a "handwritten 'Emilio' flourish" – a concept, she points out, as new as designer ready-to-wear – his designs were soon seen on celebrities like Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. From the airline uniforms he created for Braniff in the 1960s to the emblem he made for the Apollo XV space mission in 1971, Pucci's designs were visionary. By venturing into non-traditional design collaborations, he laid the foundation for a future brand, a classic legacy that his daughter Laudomia Pucci continues today.
