Dolce and Gabbana V Emilio Pucci

Milan Fashion Week is well under way and some of the world’s most established designers are in the process of unveiling their new Spring Summer collections. We could safely rely upon Dolce and Gabbana for their eye-catching vibrancy whereas Emilio Pucci is renowned for the grown-up glam look. So how do these designers’ collections compare on the catwalk?

Peter Dundas’ designs for Emilio Pucci’s Spring Summer 2012 collection are floaty shapes of pastel-patterned chiffon, most commonly taking the form of dresses and skirts, whilst Dolce and Gabbana use decidedly more animated colour schemes and what can only be described as beautifully garish patterns in their final D&G collection (the designers will now be merging their D&G collection with their mainline collection, displaying only one collection on the catwalk each season). There is a continuity to Dundas’ work for Emilio Pucci; the patterns flow together, and often the skirts and tops feature the same print. Dolce and Gabbana’s collection thrives upon contrast; whoever thought of a yellow and silver paisley next to red and white polka dot may have had some kind of extreme migraine when the moment of clarity arrived – but somehow, it works!

These collections appear to differ in more ways than one; Brigitte Bardot was named as official muse for the Emilio Pucci collection whilst the D&G collection looked more like the dance of the brightly coloured pyjamas.  Vogue.com, however,  interestingly used one common adjective in their commentaries of both Emilio Pucci and D&G collections: gypsy.

Whilst, of course, we cannot go as far as to say that the inspiration for Dolce and Gabbana and Emilio Pucci collections manifest in similar sorts of collections, there is a common denominator there, and, perhaps, the “gypsy” look will be one to prevail in a number of ways next season.

Text: Abbie Saunders