In the Market Report: Pucci & the Geometric Prints

Veruschka in Pucci photographed by Franco Rubartelli

Fashion is nothing, if not fickle, contradictory, and cyclical (yes, everything comes back, and it’s not always that different from the original, contradictory to what many fashion ‘experts’ say). And judging from the fall 2015 shows thus far, many highly influential designers are taking their cue from decades past. Among other things, there’s been an obvious return to a look that can best be described as luxurious bohemian (circa 1970’s); a wholehearted embrace of the 80’s (a decade the defined the notion of ‘bad’ taste); and it’s been hard to ignore all the 60’s inspired mod designs.

Christian Dior Couture Spring 2015 Collection

Pucci, the iconic Florentine label known for its exuberant, artistic, and colorful geometric prints, has long held a particular appeal for me (as a child of the 60’s and an art history major). And my closets, (filled with an enviable collection of vintage Pucci’s which look as modern today as they did more than 50 years ago because the shapes are classic and timeless, if not minimal) attest to that fact. And it just so happens that they remind me of some standout pieces I’ve seen on the runways as of late, as it seems that fashion is having yet another Pucci moment.

Tom Ford Fall 2015 Collection

Seeds of it began with the Christian Dior spring 2015 Haute Couture show in Paris this past January. As soon as I saw images of Raf Simons’ second skin bodysuits covered in swirly psycadelic prints, the name Pucci immediately came to mind. And who would imagine that Tom Ford would use Pucci-esque brightly hued geometric prints in his fall 2015 collection? (The show was held in Los Angeles just a few days before the Academy Awards). Many of his long lean skirts and trousers were made of plush velvet, often pieced together with patchwork denim.

Ilincic Roksanda’s Fall 2015 Collection

The most recent example was in London. Ilincic Roksanda’s fall 2015 runway was highly textural (tweeds, knits, felt, jacquards, fox), and she made effective use of vividly hued, swirly, geometric patterns, often mismatched.

Pucci Emilio Pucci Resort 2015

Peter Dundas has been artistic director of Emilio Pucci since October 2008. He has been credited with making the jet set label, more youthful, sophisticated, edgy, and rock n roll, thanks in part to his two main fashion muses (Anita Pallenberg and Maryann Faithfull), who are never far from his thoughts, and his desire to explore more of the sexy, nighttime spirit of the line. He also admits to having a love affair with women’s legs, and so, short (often very short) dresses, and shorts, will always co-exist with maxis, within his collections. His fall 2015 line will be shown in Milan later this week.

By the way, part of the timeless appeal of the immediately identifiable label, is its inherently up beat, happy, and optimistic nature. Many years ago, I was on the elevator in my building, and an elderly woman got on. She looked at me and asked if I was wearing Pucci and when I said yes, she immediately smiled and with a gleam in her eyes, replied, “We all had so much fun in those clothes”. Indeed!

Marilyn Kirschner

I am a long time fashion editor with 40+ years of experience. As senior market of Harper's Bazaar for 21 years I met and worked with every major fashion designer in the world and covered all of the collections in Paris, London, Milan and New York. I was responsible for overall content, finding and pulling in the best clothes out there, and for formulating ideas and stories.