Camille Miceli presents first fashion show for Pucci in Florence

A year after her arrival as Pucci’s artistic director, Camille Miceli chose Florence, home to Emilio Pucci and the fashion house, as the location for her first catwalk show, following experiential events in Capri and Saint Moritz.

Set on the banks of the river Arno, the outdoor catwalk event at sunset showcased her brightly coloured spring/summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection entitled ‘Initials E.P.’.

Inspired by Emilio Pucci’s design of the official logo for NASA’s Apollo 15 space mission in 1971, which was worn by the astronauts on their uniform, Miceli paid homage to the Italian fashion house’s space-age look from the ‘60s with shimmering fabrics and billowing silhouettes, alongside a bright and playful colour palette associated with Pucci.

A flowing, lightweight caftan in the Pesce motif opened the show, followed by luminous all-white looks, bodycon dresses and knitwear enlivened in Pucci prints, and crop tops embellished with crafted, colourless flowers to offer a “fresh twist” on artisanal techniques in the absence of print.

The brand’s signature Marmo print was reworked on denim, with the print laser-treated and washed with reused water to ensure a more sustainable process, while a series of beach looks featured wet-suit-inspired long zip pulls embellished with strass.

Pucci SS23

But it was Miceli’s vision of the moon that stood out in the collection with printed silk twill laminated with gold foil for a cracked iridescent effect that shimmered on dresses, crop tops and hooded bomber jackets. Ripstop was also given the Pucci treatment, offering a colourful frosted effect. While eight catsuits in permutations of Pucci print closed the show, layered with gold jewellery and a T-shirt assembled from chains.

There was also a new emphasis on fun alongside function for the bags and accessories, with the ‘Daily’ bucket bag piped with print and the ‘Puccinella’ in straw with cheeky bikini detail. While the footwear offered platform sandals and pointy kitten heels embellished with little fishes, printed bucket hats were outlined with sunglasses, and even printed floaters were carried as accessories.

In the show notes, Miceli describes the collection as “a new journey” for the Florentine fashion house, as Pucci looks to focus on an “ultra-contemporary way of dressing,” while still respecting the history of the storied label.