Lacroix Moves Pucci Forward - but Not All the Way
Photo by Gruber

MILAN, Oct 2, 2002/ --- Nothing beats a debut for adding a frisson of excitement to editors and fashion folk, whose lot it is to sit through several hundred fashion shows every September and March.

So it was that a huge crowd of editors-in-chief and fashion directors descended to Superstudio in south Milan to see the first collection of Pucci designed by French couturier Christian Lacroix.

Christian’s nomination was generally regarded as a wise choice given his talent as a colorist and the supposed similarities between Lacroix’s Provencal aesthetic and the colorful graphic traditions of the Tuscan brand.

You could almost feel the editors, keen to find something pretty to shoot in their magazines and desperate for Pucci’s ad pages, willing Lacroix on, almost holding their breath as the lights came down.

As it turned out, unlike his predecessor, Julio Espada, who had flopped with his drab opening look, Lacroix got off to a strong start with an askew, asymmetrical dress in just the right sort of bright, swirling Pucci print to which no one could object.

He followed with some great swimsuits, occasionally hooded, that Emilio himself would have been proud of, and wowed with some wonderful leggings and asymmetrical tunics.

Lacroix had plenty of good sportswear ideas, especially reprising retro Olympic tracksuits, and thus tapping into a Gucci tradition – Pucci was one of the first fashion houses to dress national ski teams.

He also managed to whip up some notable footwear, rich hippie chic slingbacks with flowers, faux flower petals and some eye-catching crystal big toe rings.

And his finale of flowing chiffon dresses with shards, strips and ruffles of fabrics will certainly give the photographers plenty to shoot.

There was plenty that was admirable about the collection, and yet Lacroix didn’t quite crack the fundamental conundrum about Pucci, that the house’s rich legacy of fabulous prints can be almost an impediment to design ideas by restricting shapes’ silhouettes to those that can work with bold swathes of color.

Lacroix did throw in some strong black and white, but he had nowhere near enough swimsuits or summerhouse and beachwear, surely the very things most consumers search for in Pucci.

In short, though this debut was a hit, it sure wasn’t a home run.

Pucci by Christian Lacroix	Pucci by Christian Lacroix	Pucci by Christian Lacroix
Pucci by Christian Lacroix	Pucci by Christian Lacroix	Pucci by Christian Lacroix

Pucci by Christian Lacroix

Pucci by Christian Lacroix

Pucci by Christian Lacroix

Pucci by Christian Lacroix