In fashion as in life, timing is everything. The launch of the new Emilio Pucci collection coincided with Beyoncé donning a custom Pucci look for a performance in Inglewood, California, on Sept. 2, as part of her Renaissance World Tour. “It was huge,” Camille Miceli said of the placement. A year has passed since her appointment as the brand’s creative director, and having Queen Bey’s stamp of approval is a endorsement that certainly makes the anniversary even more beautiful.
On stage, Beyoncé and her dancers wore matching catsuits printed with the new Pucci Giardino motif, part of the fall/winter collection that Miceli has dubbed Supernova – a fitting nod to the artist’s stardom. Miceli has steered Pucci into expressive, bold territory that caters to both high-wattage celebrities and real bangers: “It’s for women with real charisma, who aren’t afraid to show their confidence. It’s not discreet. It’s not under the radar civil. It’s a home for women who embrace who they are and want to be noticed,” she says. Demure wallflowers, go elsewhere.
Miceli is building a consistent aesthetic at the label, introducing a little detour each season that doesn’t deviate from the formula she’s developed to bring new shine and zest to the fading Italian brand. “Pucci has always been about crazy prints scattered in pretty simple, easy shapes,” she said. For the winter, Miceli and her team worked on new prints, raising the bar with even more trippy whirlwinds of graphics and colours. Some took archival patterns from the late 1950s that became psychedelic, such as the Leocornoinspired by one of the vibrant flags of the Palio di Siena: the wild historic horse race that has taken place every August since the Middle Ages in Siena’s circular central square.
Miceli likes an individual approach to style: the more exuberant, the better. Here, she interspersed sexy bodycon silhouettes with more billowy shapes, short skater miniskirts with voluminous quilted piumino capes, and knit blanket ponchos with tattoo-effect second-skin mesh catsuits. New this season were evening wear in crisp black taffeta and what she called “Peaky Blinders suits,” or masculine tailored tuxedos in black velvet with printed lapels. Miceli gave them all playful, eccentric twists. An asymmetrical top featured huge rosettes blooming over the décolleté, while a voluminous taffeta dress was worn under a windbreaker and finished with a fearless pair of furry yeti over-the-knee boots. “Playing with contrasts is risky,” she admitted. “But I find that interesting to research.”
