Camille Miceli takes Pucci on an Italian Grand Tour; first there was Capri and Florence – then a quick trip to the über-chic slopes of St. Moritz – and this season it was time for a Roman holiday. Was she captivated by the fabulousness of the Eternal City? “It was actually quite personal,” she said during a preview. Her father came from Rome and she visits often; but the choice was mainly about ‘connecting the dots’.
She recently came across an issue of Vogue Italia from the ’90s with Isabella Rossellini on the cover, photographed by Steven Meisel and styled by Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele. Referencing the charisma of Sophia Loren, Rossellini was photographed standing against a Pucci-printed backdrop, whose geometric swirls in aquatic blue and turquoise were inspired by a small Mediterranean island near Procida, off the coast of Naples, called Vivara. The image caused a series of assonances that led Miceli to name the collection ‘Very Vivara’ and to show it in Rome. “Connecting Pucci’s flair for glamour, the most iconic print from 1965, the allure of Rome, the sensuality of Italian women à la Sophia Loren: it all came full circle almost by chance,” she added.
A regal Rossellini, wrapped in a dramatic Vivara print terry cloth cape, closed today’s show. Held in the frescoed salons of Palazzo Altemps, a 16th-century aristocratic mansion, now one of the sites of the National Roman Museum, it provided an atmospheric setting for a modern, confident collection. While a radiant Christy Turlington opened the show in an elegant black kaftan, embroidered at the neckline with a sequined Bersaglio motif. Kaftans and capes are typically Pucci; they are not only archetypes of haute style, they are also body- and age-friendly shapes that Miceli embraces in her inclusivity ethos. Eva Herzigova and Devyn Garcia were also part of the show’s diverse casting. “The Pucci family is about different women, different minds and characters,” she said. In a season where the industry seemed to be suffering from diversity memory, kudos to Miceli for keeping the flame alive.
After exploring Pucci’s psychedelic side, the designer said it was time to introduce a more daring note, “that keeps it real but not boring.” The collection had an urban, sophisticated look; the opening looks were mostly black and stark, with a toned-down exuberance signaled only by the sequin embellishments on small suits with short jackets, or on satin coats with subtle accents of the circular Cigno motif. Asymmetrical shawl skirts and twill tunics in muted earth tones looked attractive, with contrasting leather inserts for a hard, bolder edge; denim came in new low-slung silhouettes, lasered with trompe l’oeil wavy curls. The stretchy tulle tattoo ensembles evolved into more vibrant, all-over-print versions that had a hint of slinky but still looked as easy as T-shirts. “When I worked for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel,” Miceli recalls, “he always said that wearing Pucci was like wearing a full-on dress. tattoo. So voila!, We have the tattoo.”
