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| Emilio Pucci at work via lifeinitaly.com |
Every designer marked an age in their own way, a particular
cut, an element, or an innovative material. This happened also through the
invention or the choice of a particular color that even inherited the name of
the designer, making them immortal.
It was Jeanne Lanvin in the 20s to have the first color
bearing her name: Lanvin Blue. It was a pale cobalt blue; rumors said that
Madame Lanvin was inspired by the sky in Beato Angelico’s frescos.
During the mid-30s an Italian woman shook the Parisian bourgeoisie
with her creations: Elsa Schiaparelli. Her clothes were surreal and provoking
and so was her fragrance. The bottle, designed by Léonor Fini, inspired by Mae
West’s curves and sold ina box of an extraordinary bright shade, in the color
of Fuchsia flowers; it was lively, striking, and brazen. It was renamed
Shocking pink, like the perfume itself.
Within the 50s another Italian became famous for his use of
color, Emilio Pucci. He was shocked by the dreadful quality of color palette
presented by print works; therefore he produced the first summer collection in
1949, which was entirely in black and white. He designed swimsuits, sundresses,
shirts and trousers with ground-breaking and convenient shapes, but he felt he
had to add colors. Therefore in the following season he made up by creating his
own touch, among which the Capri Blue, inspired by the colors of the Blue
Grotto in Capri and the Emilio Pink, dedicated to the bougainvillea that
decorated every little street of the island.
While Valentino’s legendary Red appeared in the 60s, the
story set offs during his Parisian training period, while he was on holiday in
Spain. One night at Barcelona’s Liceu Theater, the fiery red costumes in a
scene struck him and thought that any woman, if entering a room wearing that
color, could have the same paralyzing effect. It then became his unmistakable
signature, in any collection there was at least one item in that color and it
inevitably entered the most important wardrobes in the world.
In 1972 the Biagiotti White was established, one that the
Lady of cashmere’ showed at a runway at Palazzo Pitti in a collection of few
white clothes which were wearable and adaptable to any moment of the day, a
modern way of dressing but also a symbol of simplicity and peace that is a
classic Laura Biagiotti.
