"It's a summer collection, so during the summer my girl is quite a Bohemian and a little bit of a hippy," said designer Peter Dundas in a preview before his Pucci show on Saturday night. Yes it's another 70s inspired summer show to add to the long list stacking up here in Milan. But Pucci has a legitimate clam to this territory, as the late 60s and 70s was when this colorful house exploded onto the collective fashion psyche.
Let's start with the end of this show because that was truly where this collection took off. Dundas came up with the idea of blending iconic Pucci prints with tie-dye patterns and the psychedelic poster art of his chosen era. The combination made for some killer silk maxi dresses. The designer crafted them with bold jeweled necklines that linked the fabric to the body, or stitched the silk onto beaded bra tops or simply gathered the fabric at the neck.
The Flower Power daywear was also well done. Particularly the first few white crochet looks embellished with dainty little brightly-colored flowers. The designer's ultra slim pants and fitted flower-embellished jackets showed that Dundas could do tailoring just as deftly as he does flou.
If there was a misstep it was minor. The more sober big-button accented looks- even in a vibrant tangerine shade- stuck out in a bad way.
But overall this show will do exactly what Dundas intended it to do next summer- make gorgeous girls look even more amazing. Their tanned supple skin and sun bleached hair will be made more beautiful by his colorful Boho ensembles.