Pucci

Pucci's value rests on its singular print heritage — the kaleidoscopic, geometric, often swirling designs that earned Emilio Pucci the nickname "the Prince of Prints." You are paying for finely printed silk and a colour sensibility that defined 1960s glamour, not a logo for its own sake. If a Pucci print speaks to you, it is a wearable piece of fashion history.

A famous authentication clue is the squiggly "Emilio" signature woven into the print itself — Pucci added it to help authenticate his much-copied designs. Note, though, that he only began signing the prints once his designs grew more abstract in the 1960s, so genuinely earlier pieces can be unsigned. Pair the signature check with period-correct labels and the silk jersey hand to be confident.

The house is built on vivid, boldly patterned printed silk — including Pucci's beloved silk jersey — in a palette of acid yellow, lime green, turquoise and pink that captured 1960s psychedelia. The prints are geometric and swirling, instantly recognisable. That riot of colour on lightweight silk is the Pucci signature.

Emilio Pucci, Marchese di Barsento (1914–1992), was an Italian aristocrat, designer and politician. His designs first drew attention in 1947–48 when skiwear he created was photographed for Harper's Bazaar, and he soon set up a couture house on Capri. He went on to build the eponymous print house that still bears his name.

Before the prints came skiwear: the very first clothes Pucci designed were for the Reed College ski team, and he is credited as the first person to design a one-piece ski suit. His sleek use of stretch fabrics caused a sensation and launched his fashion career. From the slopes he moved to swimwear in 1949 and then to the printed silks he became famous for.

Pucci's Capri couture house rode the island's popularity with the international jet set, and his vivid prints became shorthand for the era's elegance. His clothes were worn by Sophia Loren, Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe — Monroe was even interred wearing a Pucci dress. That golden-age glamour is still part of the brand's allure.

Yes — one of his most celebrated commissions. Braniff International Airways hired Pucci to design uniforms in 1968 and again in 1972, and he created six complete collections for hostesses, pilots and ground crew between 1965 and 1974. His acid-bright, modular designs became icons of Space-Age style.

After Emilio Pucci's death in 1992, his daughter Laudomia Pucci continued designing under the name, and in 2000 the French luxury group LVMH acquired 67% of the house. LVMH brought in major designers including Christian Lacroix as creative director from 2002 to 2005, followed by Matthew Williamson and later Peter Dundas. Laudomia became Image Director.

Where many Italian houses are defined by leather goods or tailoring, Pucci is defined almost entirely by print — it was a pioneering bridge between luxurious couture and ready-to-wear in the 1950s and 60s. Its identity is colour and pattern on silk rather than a handbag or a heel. That print-first focus makes it distinct.

The house produces ready-to-wear and accessories for women, plus a small range of men's accessories, sold through Pucci boutiques and high-end department stores. The pieces mostly carry Emilio's original brightly coloured, often swirly prints or new designs in his distinctive style. The print remains the throughline across everything.