Emilio Pucci

“In the 1960s, Emilio Pucci was known for his vibrant prints that draped the jet set. Ward and Idanna Pucci (the designer’s niece) paint a complex picture of the man behind the swirls: an aristocrat who skied on the Italian Olympic team, served as a bomber pilot in World War II, acted as a go-between for the Mussolini family, spent time as a prisoner of the Gestapo and had a brief political career.”
–New York Times

“Fast-paced and propulsive, drawing from the diaries and Pucci’s accounts to bring the designer’s surprising exploits to colorful life. This will captivate fashion fans and history buffs alike.”
–Publishers Weekly

“Pucci’s remarkable life finally gets a biography of its own…Before he cut an elegant figure in the emerging postwar jet set, the one-time Olympic skier (he was on Italy’s team as a teen in 1932) joined the Italian air force. After serving in Egypt, he opposed the fascist regime and aided the Allies by couriering compromising secret documents that were key evidence in the Nuremberg trials. His fashion career was a happy accident: In 1947, one of his homemade ski suits was snapped by American photographer Toni Frissell. Before long, her editor at Harper’s Bazaar - none other than the legendary Diana Vreeland - was helping Pucci launch his first collection. Terence Ward and the designer’s niece Idanna Pucci cover this history and more.”
–The Globe and Mail

“A fascinating book…unveiling Emilio’s unknown past. In the end, the arc of his story moves from black and white into brilliant color.”
–Suzy Menkes, from the Foreword, legendary fashion critic, International Herald Tribune, Paris

“A vivid and fascinating portrait of a remarkable man. Long before he became one of the world’s most celebrated fashion designers, Emilio Pucci had been a fighter pilot and victim of both Nazi torture and the duplicity of the future head of the CIA. Skilfully weaving together the history of Pucci’s times with the events of his extraordinary life, Ward and Pucci’s niece tell for the first time the story of his role in saving and smuggling into Allied hands what the New York Times called “one of the most important historic documents of the Second World War.”
–John Hooper, Italy and Vatican correspondent of The Economist. and award winning author of The Italians and The New Spaniards.

“Behind the powerful imagery of Pucci designs lies a remarkable tale of courage and intrigue that totally redefines our understanding of this great fashion designer. This is the poignant, gripping narrative replete with alliances, tragedies, manipulation, betrayals and daring - all shadowed by the unexpected in the dying months of WWII. “
–Alexander Vreeland, author of Diana Vreeland: Bon Mots, Words of Wisdom from the Empress of Fashion

“A masterpiece. A true marvel of research, erudition, and derring-do.”
–Amy Fine Collins, editor-at-large Airmail Magazine, special correspondent for Vanity Fair 1993-2018

Terence Ward is the author of Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran and The Guardian of Mercy: How an Extraordinary Painting by Caravaggio Changed an Ordinary Life. Idanna Pucci is the author of The Lady of Sing Sing and The World Odyssey of a Balinese Prince. Idanna grew up in the Pucci palace, eyewitness to her uncle’s extraordinary work. She and Terence have had far flung lives, from Iran to Indonesia. They live in Florence.

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