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MILAN, Italy — Designer Peter Dundas titled his autumn/winter 2014 collection for Emilio Pucci "Call of the Wild" and took to the idea of giving his glam, uptown girls a lesson in savage sophistication.
This meant densely beaded mini dresses with plunging v-necks crafted to mimic a Navaho blanket, fringed tribal patterned knitwear pieces and fitted pony skin coats. Less obviously ethnic were quite a few shimmering and slinking gold gowns and mini dresses that will get any boyfriend’s blood pumping. Those were the outfits that could quite possibly lead to a bit of late night ravaging.
When Dundas took on the iconic Pucci print, he came up with a couple of novel new ways to envision it. By overlaying a pony hair pattern on top, or slicing and dicing the print and coating it with a smattering of gold lamé, the Pucci pattern was simultaneously softened and accentuated by the designer.
But among all of the swinging beaded fringe dresses, the fluffy fur coats and the lace up trousers, it was Dundas' quieter pieces that spoke the loudest.
The simple beauty of a handful of draped jersey dresses gathered at the neck and waist to expose slivers of skin was exquisite to behold. A deep, cowl-neck, brown knit dress with shaggy sleeves had a quiet elegance that still retained a punch of Pucci sex appeal. And a pair of deftly tailored velvet suits in ruby red and emerald green might not have fit into the primitive slant of the show, but they sure were perennial pieces that will be able to adapt to any sartorial situation.
