Making good on the promise of his sexy debut, Peter Dundas turned out a sizzling collection for Spring/Summer at Emilio Pucci. It is, of course, the season the house was made for, having been established on jet-set Capri in the 1960 s, but it also doesn t hurt that Dundas is an avid scuba diver. The underwater universe produced some aqueous prints that also formed the basis of allover-sequined dresses. Neoprene diving suits informed a few long-sleeve minidresses with curve-enhancing mesh insets. And there were some gorgeous shades of blue, like the bold royal of a suede cocktail number with metallic beads arching over one shoulder, and a cropped beaded jacket worn with pirate pants in deepest midnight.
Some of the hottest swimwear of the season strutted down the narrow runway. One or two in snakeskin aren t advisable for actually getting wet; and with their signature prints and cutouts galore, the others might have made the house s founder blush (that is, if it weren t for the glam cover-ups). But Dundas was thinking beyond the beach: A couple of leggy dresses with sequins and feather trim looked destined for the Croisette in Cannes. He also extended the warranty on the short-in-front, long-in-back evening look, showing one in gold lamé and another in billowy white silk. The season s all-important jacket? He cuts a mean one: cropped, fitted, with lean arms and a flippy hem. Backstage, Dundas said he had wanted to work with easier volumes and loosen up the silhouettes a bit, but there s little doubt that his Pucci girl remains a predator-shark type.
