Fausto Puglisi Sells Seashells — And A Whole Lot More

MILAN, Italy — He sells seashells by the seashore. Or at least Fausto Puglisi has them collected so they can be painstakingly attached to pieces in his Spring collection and mixed with Swarovski-crystalled bugle beads — creating the impression the outfits were dredged from drowned worlds.

That gorgeous conceit was entirely in keeping with Puglisi’s Sicilian origins and his bottomless appetite for lavish embroideries, inspired by the decorations in Palermo’s baroque churches. The draped chiffons and jerseys, like classical Greek and Roman sculpture, also reflected roots, even if Puglisi said they were his salute to Halston, the designer he called “the perfect translator in a modern way” of his favourite Madame Gres. He made impressive one-shouldered goddess dresses in the style of his heroes.

The draping also evoked the Versaces, Puglisi’s enduring inspirations. It’s not an association he would ever shy away from, which is a little problematic at times, especially when some of the studded bondage-strappy pieces here connected so directly with Gianni’s legacy. In his defence, his aesthetic seems to have been formed in exactly the same crucible in Southern Italy: impressed by the monumental past, entranced by the crass present.

That's how Texas rodeo queens incongruously infiltrated Puglisi's collection, as red, white and blue as Wonder Woman in tailored satin jackets, shiny Western shirts, cowgirl boots (albeit shell-encrusted). He insisted he wanted everything light and fresh for Spring. A white sand catwalk, a circular set that felt a little like a futuristic auditorium on a Greek island, U2's uncharacteristically direct, upbeat California on the soundtrack, an oblique reminder of how his time in LA stays with him. But there was some kind of disconnect there. The cowgirls weren't the only things that didn't fit.

It might actually be the essence of Puglisi’s work. All over his mood board — and printed on his invitation — were images of one of the most famous sculptures of antiquity, the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons being attacked by sea serpents.  It’s in the Vatican, and Puglisi first became mesmerised by it in his early teens. The agony of the three men is terrifyingly palpable. Try translating that into a fashion collection. Puglisi said their naked musculature reminded him of jersey, but that’s scarcely a reason for his fascination. There was always something slightly dark and wholly decadent underpinning Gianni Versace’s work. Which makes it quite possible that Fausto Puglisi is his heir in ways that haven’t yet shown themselves.