Emilio Pucci Spring 2024 Runway Review, Fashion Show and Ready-to-Wear Collection

Perhaps it was the calm, relaxed atmosphere of a spring night in Rome, and none of the frenzy of a busy fashion calendar, but the Emilio Pucci show on Thursday night felt like a gathering of friends having fun.

Cue the loud cheers and applause when Christy Turlington Burns opened the show, not to mention when Isabella Rossellini closed it. “I had a lot of fun. I mean, Pucci is all about joie de vivre and fun, so we emulated that spirit,” Rossellini said after the show, still beaming from her spins a few minutes earlier, as she made her way among the strategically illuminated ancient statues of Palazzo Altemps, wearing a Vivara sponge caftan.

“I loved the new shapes of the caftans, a little bit 20s or 60s, with a witchy touch, perfect for this time of transition, a little dark but also edgy, and perfect for Los Angeles,” Patricia said. Chest. Along with her, Silvia Venturini Fendi agreed and said that the collection was “very cinematic, I loved the headdresses. And what a surprise to see Isabella at the end, it was fantastic.”

Rossellini was actually “the starting point,” Pucci artistic director Camille Miceli explained earlier in the day, “because she did a photo shoot with Steven Meisel in 1990 for Vogue Italia, all in Pucci, wearing Vivara. I loved her very much, I love her as a woman, what she represents, her activities, the cultural side of her, the [Mama] The farm, the eggs and all that. I find everything super contemporary and she is super fun, a wonderful woman.”

Likewise, Miceli was enthusiastic about Turlington Burns. “She is a dream for me; We met in 1989, I was at Chanel. [where Miceli interned and then became a publicist for seven years] and we used to go out together.” Speaking of Eva Herzigova, who walked shortly after Turlington Burns, she said she was “a dear friend, I met her when she first came to Chanel. I feel like it's good to have your community with you, to have friends around, you feel better,” she said, hugging herself.

Pucci is one of the few brands still embracing the see now, buy now format, and Miceli presented its spring 2024 collection in Rome. “I love the format,” she exclaimed happily. “It's very appropriate for today. Pucci is different, because of its history and the prints, it is not like other brands and we cannot treat it like other brands. We are in a time when people forget what they see from one week to the next, that's why I want to sell and show what they can buy, but that doesn't mean that we don't work like everyone else. “This collection has been ready since October, when we sold it, the only thing that is different is the timing of the reveal,” she noted.

After showing his collections for Pucci in Capri and Saint Moritz as experiential events, in May of last year Miceli held his first show in Florence, Emilio Pucci's hometown, on the banks of the Arno River and this year he is betting on the Italian capital, putting The scene is inside the frescoed 15th-century Palazzo Altemps, which today houses a national museum.

He admitted that he had also thought about exhibiting on the bridge that connects the island of Vivara, which gives its name to one of Pucci's most famous engravings, with Procida, near Capri and Ischia.

“I didn't feel like taking any chances with the weather,” he confessed simply, after having successfully avoided the rain in the previous tests. Rome was not the second best option, as she was enthusiastic about the city and the Palace, which she described as “a hidden luxury” since it is not well known to tourists. She also has the added bonus of having a theater downstairs, as she commented that she likes to host a dinner party right after and close to the show.

“I love its patio, the frescoes, everything is quite magical, all this fantasy of Rome, the colors and the statues are absolutely incredible. At the same time, the mud floor is quite raw.”

Furthermore, the palace helps convey a message. “I'm trying more and more to establish the brand in the city and in everyday life, from daywear to evening wear, so that people don't consider it just for summer. I really want people to think about Pucci in their daily lives,” she explained.

It is succeeding, as the collection was solid and compelling, with a clear focus. Miceli seems to be getting more and more confident, experimenting more with the brand's codes and evolving them. She knows her clients and this lineup was one of the best.

Miceli believes in “insisting, engraving a message in the mind.” For this reason, she has decided to offer some garments season after season, such as the jeans with a revisited marble print that she wore during the interview. “They're from last year but it's nice to show them again,” she said, pointing to her jeans. A statement that is as modern as can be, so timeless that it seems to be an attribute that designers are already swearing by.

There is no doubt that founder Emilio Pucci is a beacon for Miceli, who enthused about his “fantasy” in conceiving prints “that never die” and described him as “a master of drawing.” At the same time, however, Miceli is very much in tune with the times and adds his own playful, almost hippie touch, with an infectious energy and passion for his work.

In addition to Vivara, three prints defined the season. Cigni [swans], with the stylized and elegant necks of the birds running through a beautiful sequin evening dress; Bersaglio [target] with its swirls and curls that appear on a patchwork scarf dress, and Chiave [key], which put a Pucci spin on a striped pantsuit. There was also the Marmo brand [marble], blown up for a bolder effect, especially on the latest laser-treated denim, which included a lighter chambray. fish [fish] and iride [iris] It continued to appear throughout the wardrobe, in impeccable poplin blouses or fluid knit dresses.

While some of the prints were oversized, Miceli balanced them by breaking them down into a few designs, such as details on the cuffs or collars of a gabardine jacket, as inlays on a miniskirt, or as fringes on HotPants. There were several asymmetrical tops and skirts that, along with tops and jumpsuits with tattoos and sagging holes, looked fun but sophisticated.

For the finale, a series of Vivara hooded dresses and kaftans in a fluffy material gave a nod to the archives.

Ready-to-wear accounts for the majority of sales, so Miceli sees great potential in the accessories segment, which has clearly expanded to include daring jewelry, such as earrings with colored discs, which she seems to have a lot of fun with. , adding scarf details to the raffia bags, the new Mela bag or the flat sandals. “The Pulcinella bag last year sold very well and there is demand, so we decided to develop it further.” There were Iride-print nylon handbags, flap-top raffia bags, and totes.

The sandals featured curved heels inspired by Marmo's lines, or were outlined by sheets of leather that ran up the models' calves.

Miceli also introduced a line for dogs, with tiny coats, dog leashes and other accessories.

The color palette included earthy and classic tones, from beige to sage and khaki, which contrasted with bright red, purple and pink, or the light blue, blue and purple tones of the Vivara water, sun and moon print , dating back to 1965.