Matthew Williamson

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The fashion press nicknamed Emilio Pucci, an Italian marquis, the Prince of Prints during the heady sixties, when his instantly recognizable kaleidoscopic prints were worn by the best bodies from Biarritz to Beverly Hills. And the title is still an apt one for the house of Pucci.

A member of the 1934 Italian Olympic ski team, Pucci got into the fashion business in 1947 when a friend was photographed in the Swiss Alps by a Harper's Bazaar photographer whose eye had been caught by the tapered ski pants and hooded parka the woman was wearing. Pucci had designed them for her. The magazine commissioned him to create similar sporty outfits for a story—and they were a sensation.

Pucci set up shop on Capri and began experimenting with lightweight silk jersey, first in swimwear and eventually for scarves, blouses, and his soon-to-be-famous dresses. The wrinkle-free designs, each with Emilio's signature on them, quickly became must-haves among the jet set who vacationed on Capri, including Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, and Sophia Loren. (Marilyn Monroe, who owned more than 25 Pucci dresses, was buried in a green design.)

In 1967 Pucci transformed part of the family palazzo in Florence into his company headquarters; it still operates there today. By the seventies the label was a household name across the Western world, having expanded into fragrance, rugs, and even stewardess uniforms: Pucci designed crew getups for Braniff that were re-created in miniature for a Barbie doll.

The marquis died in 1992, but his daughter Laudomia continues to oversee the family business. In 2000 LVMH added the company to its stable of luxury brands. In 2002 Christian Lacroix was appointed the label's creative director. He was succeeded in 2006 by the British designer Matthew Williamson. Following Williamson's Spring 2009 collection, the Norwegian designer Peter Dundas will assume the post of creative director.

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