“This is a designer who’s really breaking out now. He’s doing something that Pucci really needs, with this younger, fun aesthetic that he’s been doing at MSGM.”

Christina Binkley – Wall Street Journal

2016 is a special year for fashion house Emilio Pucci. Their spring line is the first full collection created for Pucci by their brand new designer, Massimo Giorgetti of MSGM fame. In 2015 he joined the company, replacing designer Peter Dundas. This year’s collection has been aptly referred to as Cinematic seascapes for urban mermaids. Describing his inspiration for the new look, Giorgetti says, “Since I was very young, for me Pucci meant sea, beach life, Capri, Saint-Tropez.

Massimo Giorgetti, designer

The challenge was to make this inspiration modern. So I didn’t work on the brand’s classic graphic patterns, but I focused on the more playful prints of the brands, which date back to the 50s and 70s when Emilio Pucci used to design more characters than abstract motifs. This is the lesser-known part of his work.”

Backstage at his show during Milan Fashion Week, Giorgetti stands in front of a mood board full of snapshots of models, images of sea life, and a few sketches. Referring to his extensive research into Pucci’s style traditions, Giorgetti gestures at vintage photos affixed to the board. “As you can see, I worked a lot on the archive.” Unconventional use of classic colors, creative fabric choices and pairings, cuts, and a variety of unique, boldly designed accessories characterize Giorgetti’s spring line. “The brand has to be fun, but not too fun. I want it to look playful, sweet, sometimes childish, and most of all, very emotional.”

His unorthodox approach extends to the venue he chose for this year’s show. Instead of Pucci’s traditional location, Giogetti selected a gritty warehouse. He wanted a space with a generally sad and gray tone so the presentation of his collection would be, “…like an explosion of colors among the ruins.” Some of the brighter hues this year include electric blue, purple, orange, bright green and yellow. “All the colors of the collection, I found them in a beautiful box, with all the original tones, from the Marchese office,” Giorgetti says.

Models walk the concrete floor in skirts of all lengths, dresses, and shirts made from a variety of fabrics, many of which are a clear reference to fishing nets. In an audacious stroke of realism, many of the garments are adorned with bold patterns of sea creatures caught up in the fishing-net fabric. One of my favorite items took a more subtle approach to the oceanic theme: A black and white tank top with diagonal stripes and a jagged yet delicate cut, paired with a slitted maroon skirt adorned with delicate sequins. The tank top over the softly sparkling skirt looks like a jagged rock formation rising up out of a sunset-colored surf. The choice of flat Greek-style sandals evokes an image of ancient explorers approaching a mysterious new land.

Plunging necklines in fluid fabrics like viscose, silk, and cadi make this year a bit more sensual than years past. While Giorgetti’s collection is noticeably shy of the bold graphics for which he is so well known, there are a couple of distinctive elements that stand out as an open acknowledgment to “logo-mania,” as he puts it. You will find a newly designed, Blason logo on some of the clothes and on many of the accessories, in combination with embroideries and appliqués. You may also notice an italic Emilio logo on the back of a slip dress, along the border of a chemise, or on the straps of sandals. “I liked the fact that Pucci used to sign with his first name only. The Blasone and the Emilio are the symbols of the brand’s new code.”

Sophia Neophitou of 10 Magazine describes Giorgetti’s creative choices as: “A big leap, really, into another stratosphere of what he wants to say about the brand.”

Just like his unique take on Pucci, Giorgetti’s entrance into the fashion world was all but conventional. He originally studied accounting, but after attaining his degree he did not take the next logical step on that career path. In a fashion-world version of working your way up from the mailroom, Giogettie took a job as a sales clerk at a clothing boutique in Rimini.

Fast forward to 2009 and Giorgetti is launching his own line. The brand, MSGM, would eventually attain a cult following with young fashionistas appreciating Giorgetti’s daring and vibrant prints, which he says were inspired by music; and his years working as a DJ. In 2015, Giorgetti’s award-winning brand had grown into a $45 million business, being sold all around the world. It is quite possible that Giorgetti’s street-style and social media savvy fan base is what made him attractive to Pucci, who was interested in opening up to a younger market.

Emilio Pucci Boutique

Piazza di Spagna, 87, 00187 Roma, Italy

tel. +39 06 678 4058

http://www.emiliopucci.com/