ROSSIGNOL – Kristen Laird Design

Classic Pucci prints were wild, hot and madly stylised; a grab-bag of sinuous Art Nouveau blooms, Op Art graphics and Arabian exotica. The designer’s bold colour clashes were always brilliant. But the shapes were the last word in ease: shift dresses, pyjama pants, tunic tops and billowing djellabas. Pucci had the soul of a modernist: there was never a superfluous seam or fastening. – James Sherwood The Independent

Cotton velveteen capes by Emilio Pucci from 60’s and 70’s at the new archive devoted to his work at the palazzo pucci in Florence.

“I revolutionized fashion because of Intuition. Certain things were in the air.” – Emilio Pucci

New York Fashion Week has come to an end and my favorite fashion designers have been on my mind. Ranking top on this list is Emilio Pucci. A master at using explosive colors in geometric and organic shapes, Emilio Pucci has been a long time favorite fashion designer of mine. Sometimes featuring as many as 15 different colors in one design, wearing Pucci can make you feel like a walking canvas. For me, there is nothing quite compares to a Pucci Print!

Marchese Emilio Pucci was born on November 20th 1914 to one of Florence’s oldest nobel families with a lineage that dates back to thirteenth-century Florence. His ancestors were painted by such artists as Botticelli and Leonardo Da Vinci. It was Emilio Pucci’s passion for skiing that brought him into the world of fashion. As a member of the 1934 Italian Olympic ski team, Pucci designed his own uniform, along with the uniforms for his entire ski team at Reed College. Eventually, this new streamlined ski outfit was featured in Harper’s Bazaar and landed him a position designing women’s ski clothing for Lord and Taylor under the White Stag label in 1948. Two years later, with his visionary sense of style, and eye for color and design, Pucci opened a fashion house unlike any other. Marilyn Monroe was even buried in one of his dresses!

Above Pucci photographed by Toni Frissel – a photographer for Harper’s Bazaar.

Pucci remains true to its roots – in 2007 they designed a line of skis and ski gear for Rossignol.

Emilio Pucci Rossignol Ski Uniform

2007 line of skis for Rossignol designed by Pucci

Pucci’s clothing was designed for the natural more active woman of the post-war era. In the 1950’s Pucci made pants a way of life for women. He was one of the first designers of his time to develop his own logo and actively expanded his line to incorporate new ventures. A perfect example of this is from 1967 -1977 Pucci was hired by Braniff International Airways to design new and updated uniforms for their flight attendants.