Modern Print Monday: Emilio Pucci

Pucci  silk scarf , 1970s

Pucci's signature "Emilio"

If you love color you can appreciate Emilio Pucci's contributions to textile printing. He didn't just design outrageously colorful prints in the 1960s and '70s, he figured out ways to get dyes in the colors he wanted. And how to combine a multitude of colors (up to 15) side by side in the same print.

Emilio Pucci 1914-1992

Florence, Italy

Pucci was an Olympic skier who got into fashion by designing efficient ski clothing in new fabrics. His color ideas and supergraphic prints evolved into psychedelic design. The trickle-down effect resulted in the inexpensive polyester garments we tend to recall as hippie clothing.

But real Puccis were not cheap.

The Duchess of Windsor in what looks to be a Pucci print.

The carpet appears to be bordered with giant swags and bowknots of checked ribbon.

I wonder who designed the carpet.

See the Pucci website:
http://home.emiliopucci.com/pucci-then-now/then

His obituary in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/01/nyregion/emilio-pucci-designer-of-bright-prints-dies-at-78.html

Do a web search under images for Pucci scarf.