Emilio Pucci was an Italian designer who entered the fashion world by designing sportswear. During the height of his career he was known by such nicknames as ‘The Marchese’ and the ‘King of Casual Couture’. He belonged to one of Florence’s oldest families, was an aristocrat, a graduate of an American university and a wartime member of the Italian Air-force. He operated his fashion business from his Florentine palazzo, or palace which was built a thousand years ago, but was remodelled in the 15^th century by Brunellschi. In 1963 he entered the Italian parliament and was quoted as saying "I envisage a future where the world will be full of educated people who learn outside their classrooms. Solve the problems of education, of sanitation and of housing, and you have laid the groundwork for an ideal civilisation."

He was inspired by the ski slopes to design ski clothing. One winter while skiing in Switzerland, a Harper’s Bazaar photographer asked him to pose for her. She found out the ski suit he was wearing was Pucci’s own design. She asked him to design some women’s ski clothing and published the sketches and had the designs available in several American stores. The next summer Pucci designed play clothes for a friend that were a huge success and copied by many people. More friends asked for designs, so he set up a small atelier in his house and showed his first collection in 1950 at the first combined Italian fashion show held in France. His beach-wear, suits and play-clothes were soon being sold in every big city the world over. In 1966 he designed silk tights in kaleidoscopic prints with clashing lime green, brown, capri blue, pink and peppermint. He used similar prints on ready-to-wear outfits. These prints were also seen in Qantas flight attendant uniforms. Jet-setters lounged around in Pucci Patio pants, known as ‘Palazzo Pyjamas’. He gave his clothes a richness of colour and designed fabulous patterns. In his tightly fitting dresses and trousers, Pucci used newly devised stretch fabrics. Two of Pucci’s greatest inventions were stretch slacks with inset straps; and the featherweight jersey dress, which you could take straight out of your handbag to wear. His use of Florentine motifs and brilliant colours recall the hey-day of the Renaissance painters and had a stimulating effect on people’s wardrobes.

Last updated: June 01, 2003

Sixties Central, Copyright 1998-2003 by Mandy Hoeymakers.
Information may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes if attribution is given.