Emilio Pucci

Emilio Pucci's namesake label started in the forties, on the slopes in Switzerland, when the designer's work was discovered by a Harper's Bazaar photographer. But what began with ski garb has expanded into an empire that includes ready-to-wear, swimwear, shoes, and home decor, with almost everything carrying the iconic, kaleidoscope-li­ke prints that have become instantly recognizable. The label's headquarters - the Pucci family palace in Florence - were as much a part of the fashion house as the line's graphic aesthetic, where buyers and press could come and admire both the architecture and the clothes. Pucci fans included some of the sixties' most photographed women-Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis-bringin­g the brand into the public eye and giving it its jet-set cachet. But in the late seventies and eighties, new houses like Armani and Versace started to rule the Italian fashion scene, which had relocated from Florence to Milan. Shortly before Pucci's 1992 death, however, the label experienced a major comeback, with new prints and a consumer interest in vintage pieces. Daughter Laudomia worked as head designer until 2000, when LVMH acquired 67 percent of the company. She was followed by a slew of others: Julio Espada until 2003, Christian Lacroix from 2003 to 2006, and Matthew Williamson until 2008. Next up is former Ungaro and Revillon designer Peter Dundas.