Emilio Pucci Resort 2013 By Peter Dundas

The Pucci girl is going on safari for Resort 2013, and bringing with her a classic, sportswear approach to dressing. With nods to late 1960's era Veruschka and 70's Lauren Hutton, this wanderlust excursion ventures into the future with new techniques and reworked silhouettes.

Yesteryear's naive bohemian has yielded to a powerful cosmopolitan spirit. Dundas' looks are sharp edged and urban cool, yet grounded in the earthy and elemental with colors of military khaki, black, and navy laced with sunflower yellow, lotus, begonia, and hydrangea green.

The Pucci girl's re-contextualized travel adventure kicks off with Army/Navy issue safari jackets, trousers, and shirt dresses done up in crisp tailored cotton or soft suede. Many pieces are embellished with intricate floral and Asian embroidery motifs, a nod to the 90's when customizing military surplus finds was all the rage. 

The collection subtly balances masculine and feminine; a gauzy silk caftan in olive khaki is lushly adorned with gold threaded dragon and butterfly embroidery and cinched with a stiff grosgrain weave military belt - an accessory that is applied throughout the wardrobe as a transformative staple. A structured butter colored day dress employs a horizontal lapel-like panel at the waist to add definition and movement around the hip.

The technical feel of military undergarments appears as fine lingerie netting - obscuring the décolletage behind the keyhole opening of a black silk evening dress or as a camisole tucked under tuxedo jackets, outerwear, and luxuriant pant suits. Dundas implements men's wear influences with a sportswear-driven mentality, and sensibility for tailored ease. A slick trench coat has been relaxed with oversized lapels and a sash belt. A tuxedo jacket deformalized with its lush hibiscus color.

The idea of camouflage is given an abstract restructure as botanicals that evoke the saturated colors of the Emilio Pucci maison. A magnified, wandering yellow orchid on a silk pyjama, or splashed over a caftan would blend into the most exotic of landscapes.

In the tradition of the house the technique of print is evolved, yet restrained. A body hugging dress in smooth, pliant leather has a paper thin lace applique that simulates the signature swirls of the Emilio Pucci archive.

Concepts of animal print and skin textures sidestep the cliché: Embroidered white raffia and platinum bugle beads on a shift tunic dress simulate the texture of crocodile skin. A silk jumpsuit done in a pixelated floral is mixed with crocodile jacquard. A fitted jacket and army skirt in crocodile embossed suede are not what they seem from afar, and to the wearer they are soft, super light and richly textured.