I'm confident everyone has some memory of the Emilio Pucci print. A swirly pattern often in punchy hues like hot pink and ocean blue, it's a print that you've most likely seen on scarves and dresses worn by Hollywood stars from Jackie Kennedy to Sophia Loren to Marilyn Monroe in the 1960s.
I certainly remember my grandmother's generation dabbling in the geometric swirl as it reached the masses, with ladies tying up the scarf into a bandana or wearing the dress on the pebbly beaches of the Amalfi Coast.
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Emilio Pucci, the eponymous label founded by the aristocrat Don Emilio Pucci, the Marchese di Barsento in 1947, is best known for its bold, geometric prints. Since its first fashion show in Florence in 1951, Pucci swiftly became the unofficial summer uniform of jet-set celebrity.
But changing trends, and copycats (not unlike what happened to the Louis Vuitton monogrammed bags), led to the once-ubiquitous print to fall out of fashion. However, as with all things '70s and ‘90s, we’ve learned that Gen Z have a way of making the old new again and it seems the Pucci print is the latest fashion relic to enjoy a revival.
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After a few years of quiet luxury dominating our feeds, there's been a return to OTT dressing, especially around summer holiday dressing (or shall we call it the White Lotus effect?). Missoni, for example, another Italian house with a recognisable proprietary print, was the luxury label of choice last summer with all our favourite fashion influencers flaunting the brand's iconic, nostalgia-tinged zig-zag print.
And just like Missoni, who stepped up their stripes with modern silhouettes, Pucci has been reimagining their swirl to fit the tastes of today. Most recently at their Portofino show, one could see a visible shift. The colours were more muted, with the majority of the fits splashed out in dusty pink and black, and the swirl has morphed into something more abstract. Naomi Campbell closed out the Pucci Marmo show in a striking embellished dress, the swirl stretched and exploded onto the gown like paint on canvas.
It's no wonder celebs and influencers have taken to the latest looks, sporting them on their enviable holidays and demonstrating just how versatile they can be. In a way, they seem to argue, these prints offer the same IYKYK appeal, because only fashion insiders would know that this print equals Pucci—and now you're one of them too. You're welcome.
