Emilio Pucci

Laudomia Pucci continues to serve as the Image Director. See "Rhinestone Cowboy". Designers who have worked under the Pucci brand include Julio Espada and Christian LaCroix. The rhinestone-studded Nudie suit was invented by Nudie Cohn in the 1940s, an Americanization of the matador's "suit of lights". The Pucci brand was revived by the French firm Louis Vuitton-Moet-Hennessy Group, who acquired the rights in 2000. Heavy use of rhinestones is often associated with country music singers, as well as with Elvis Presley and Liberace. After his death in 1992 his daughter, Laudomia Pucci, continued to design under the Pucci name. They are produced mainly in Austria and the Czech Republic, while acrylic rhinestones are manufactured in several countries.

Pucci incorporated Alexander Girard's "BI" logo into some of his prints. Today, crystal rhinestones are primarily used on costumes, apparel and jewelry. Pucci would end up designing seven complete outfits for Braniff hostesses, pilots and ground crew between 1965 and 1977. In 1955, the Aurora Borealis, a coating applied to crystal stones to produce a rainbow of colors effect was introduced. While a member of parliment, Pucci was hired by New York ad agency Jack Tinker and Associates to re-design the hostess wardrobes for Braniff International Airways. Hence, rhinestones are called Strass in the German language. In 1965 he was elected to the Italian parliament. Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine, but their availability was greatly increased when the Alsatian jeweller George Frederic Strass had the idea to coat the lower side of glass with metal powder around 1775, imitating diamonds.

In addition to his life of fashion, Pucci was a respected and well-known fascist, having written often in support of the subject. A rhinestone is an imitation diamond made from rock crystal, glass or acrylic. Popular early creations were a line of wrinkle-free printed silk dresses and the still popular Capri pants. Pucci became well known for his signature use of bright colors and bold patterns, which often clashed. The exposure encouraged him to create and sell clothes for women, and he opened a couture house in 1950 on the Isle of Capri.

Upon learning this, Frissel's editor asked Pucci to design skiwear for a story on European Winter Fashion, which ran in the winter 1948 issue of the Bazaar. In 1947 he was photographed by Toni Frissel, a photographer working for Harper's Bazaar, wearing skiwear Pucci had designed himself. He first ventured into clothing design at Reed by creating the ski team's uniforms. Pucci was a member of the Italian olympic ski team of 1934, and in 1935 won a skiing scholarship to Reed College in Oregon.

Born in Naples, Italy, the son of an Italian noble, Pucci studied in both Italy and the USA, eventually gaining a doctorate in political science in 1941. Marchese di Basento Emilio Pucci ( November 20, 1914 - 1992) was an Italian fashion designer.