It Must be Pucci - 1957

In this full page ad from 1957, Lord & Taylor featured this dress with the headline, "That flair - it's pure Emilio."  They've got to mean Emilio Pucci, don't you think?  "Black cotton ribbing and a brilliant print, 75.00, from the Italian resort collection imported for Lord & Taylor."  It must be Pucci. 

Illustration by Dorothy Hood for Lord & Taylor, 1957

Emilio Pucci - 1963

I don't think I've ever seen a beaded piece by Emilio Pucci, but there they are.  It was Stanley Marcus who encouraged Pucci to begin using his prints for clothing in the 1950s.  His print blouses were paired with solid color silk pants, and they were an instant hit here in the US.  The sets shown above are from 1963. The printed silk blouses are covered in beads, sequins and embroidery. The blouses are paired with silk pants on the left and a long silk wrap skirt on the right.

Psychedelic Florals, 1966

When taking requests for this week's blog posts, Sarah asked for some psychedelic florals.  Here you go, Sarah!  These are all from 1966 and early 1967.  Which is your favorite?

Emilio Pucci

Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner

Pauline Trigere

Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner

Emilio Pucci

Emilio Pucci Capsula - 1960

 Would you have guessed this jumpsuit by Emilio Pucci dates to 1960?  Pucci called this piece the "capsula" (which means capsule in English) as it encapsulated the body from head to toe.  He made it in several versions and in both prints and solids of a stretch silk/Helanca nylon blend shantung.  The little boots were made to match by Albion for Emilio Pucci.

Above left:  One piece capsula in blue print with V neckline.  Sold in 1960 for $150 (about $1,121 in today's dollar.)
Above right:  Sleeveless top with separate pants gives the look of one piece in a pink print.  Sold in 1960 for $110 (about $822 in today's dollar.)

One piece capsula in pink with a Pucci print silk shirt worn as a jacket.  Set sold in 1960 for $175 (about $1,308 in today's dollar.)

I've never seen one of these capsula jumpsuits for sale anywhere, but Rice and Beans Vintage just listed a pair of the  Albion boots.  Aren't they great?

Emilio Pucci Silk Jumpsuit - 1965

Told you you'd be surprised! This silk jumpsuit was designed by Emilio Pucci in 1965. While Pucci was famous for his prints, he also designed clothing in solid colors.

This pink silk evening gown with lace-hemmed pants and matching shoes was from Pucci's 1964 line.

Emilio Pucci, the Marchese di Barsento was born in Naples, Italy in 1914 to one of Italy's oldest noble families. After bouncing around to several colleges in Italy and the U.S., he was awarded his doctorate in political science in 1938. He served in the Italian Air Force during WWII, and was a staunch supporter of Mussolini's Fascist regime.

Pucci got his start in fashion when a skiing outfit he had designed for a friend in stretch knit fabric was noticed by Harper's Bazaar photographer Toni Frizell. The magazine featured several of Pucci's ski designs in the winter of 1948, and they were an instant sensation. He then left the Air Force and opened his own boutique in Capri.

Pucci started with a line of swimwear using stretch fabrics in 1949, but soon moved on to boldly printed silk scarves which would lead to the iconic signed patterns he is known for.

In the 1950s, Stanley Marcus of Neiman Marcus encouraged Pucci to produce those same patterns on silk blouses that were paired with pants in solid colors. The set shown above is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Marilyn Monroe often wore Pucci, and was even buried in her favorite chartreuse green silk jersey dress that was designed by Emilio.

Although his designs in solid colors are outstanding, Pucci will always be known for his use of wild prints. The hooded cape above is from 1965.

These dresses and hats were from the 1968 line. This is Pucci with two of the models from the show.

As for the turquoise jumpsuit I showed you on Friday? I like to imagine it was meant to be worn with these Pucci gold harem shoes from 1965, also in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This late 1960s silk jersey sundress by Pucci comes with a matching jacket and is currently available for purchase at Couture Allure.

For more fun, enjoy this video that features clothing and accessories by Emilio Pucci!

Vintage Swimsuits and Beach Wear - 1963

Want to play guess the designer again? Who made this cotton terrycloth beach cover-up in 1963?

Answer later.

We've met Irene Galitzine before. Her design talent brought us palazzo pants in 1960. Here, she offers a wild and wacky beach set consisting of a white knitted orlon romper with a chartreuse green and white knit oversize collar. Wild, no? So, where's the wacky?

It's in this hand-knitted cover-up cape in the same chartreuse and white orlon. The collar of the romper pops out atop the cape. It's like wearing granny's afghan to the beach! Gotta love those Italian designers!

This is one of my favorite swimsuits I've ever shown you. We've also talked about Tom Brigance before. Here, he takes black and white plaid nylon and fashions it into a two piece suit with a belt. The top has a high neck at the front that dips lower in back. Brigance for Sinclair suit sold for $25.00 in 1963 (about $178.00 in today's dollar).

Jantzen pops black and white stripes over a black bottom in Helanca nylon. Sold for $20.00 in 1963 (about $143.00 in today's dollar).

Back to that terrycloth beach cover-up at the top of this post. Did you guess it? It's Emilio Pucci. In cotton...terrycloth. I've seen plenty of his work in silk jersey. I've seen his work in velveteen. But never in terrycloth. He made a cotton bikini to match. I love it.