Emanuel Ungaro SS14: More is More

Continuing with his singlehanded crusade against the minimalism currently dominating fashion, Fausto Puglisi pulled out all the stops for his second outing as Creative Director for Emanuel Ungaro. There were ruffles. There were army pockets. There were swathes of chiffon and vat-loads of sparkles, and a very Eighties exuberance to the whole thing that made it reminiscent of the brand's heyday. Puglisi's experimentations with the house's hallmark fabric of chiffon took the form of billowing maxis in tiered layers, and bouncy babydolls printed with clashing polka dots and stripes. Puglisi's visceral energy brings new life to the house, but some of his simplest statements were the most powerful: a pair of leather trousers with a ruffle down one leg was sexier and bolder than all the chiffon in Paris.