Simply Abu Dhabi XIII

2 1 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I B ooming Colour. The pulse of Masai pattern. A twist of hip-hop. The Pucci girl powerfully strides into the summer season, newly energised with a confident street vibe. Creative Director Peter Dundas has set a speedy pace for this blazing voyage, plucking key pieces from activewear and plunging them, unapologetically, into new lavish embellishment. A sporty element informs this modern picture laced with luxury. The world of sports informs easy shapes. Silhouettes are either small or body conscious, or purposefully oversized, billowing with energy. Brief skirts and Dundas’ trademark body-skimming T-shirt dresses in bonded jersey are juxtaposed with sequined track suit pants, boxy cropped varsity tops, and oversized parachute silk printed parkas. The tuxedo jacket is paired with jogging shorts. Giant embroidered fishnet tank dresses are thrown over microshift dresses. Athletic wear is transformed by the Pucci atelier and its couture-worthy techniques. Sweat pieces feature lavish embroideries inspired by Masai tribes, crusted into collages of raffia, thread, bead and crystal. Basketball tank tops are spun from fragile jet beaded tulle. Air tech cropped hoodies are cut from luxurious, perforated plonge leather. The netting on athletic tops? It’s actually a complex web of rich black micro beading. Pucci’s time-honoured emblems get kicked into high gear. The Pucci crest becomes a tough medallion on boxing belts. Pucci graffiti becomes an embroidery motif. The archival 1963 Taitu print swirls on jersey sweat pants, while the classic Lamborghini print has been newly energised with a henna tattoo overlay. All the while, African inspired colour jumps out in electric blue, orange red, and yellow, shocking the eye, with flashes of silver and black. Transparent racing stripes flank the sides of body-skimming beaded gowns or one-piece jumpsuits. Tracksuit bottoms, with rich embroideries, or a sequined sports bra and short skirt, replace the dress. Thrown on with sky high hiking sandals or boxing boots withMasai embroidered heels, andmixed with crocodile hipsacks, the look invents a new category of sporty deluxe. S p r i n g S u m m e r 2 0 1 4 C o l l e c t i o n