Guerlain collaborated with fashion brand Pucci for the cosmetics company's spring 2007 collection. Five years later, the two teamed up again to give us the Bella Azura summer collection. I think Guerlain's press release did a nice job of describing the collection: "'Guerlain by Emilio Pucci' embodies the union of two prestigious Houses in perfect synergy. This exceptional makeup collaboration draws its inspiration from summertime in the Italian Riviera, with its light-hearted and energetic 'dolce vita' attitude that welcomes the warm, sea weather. Created by Guerlain Creative Director, Olivier Echaudemaison, and Pucci’s Image Director, Laudomia Pucci, the collection embraces summer with delightfully sunny shades and vibrant bursts of color. The common thread of this second collaboration is a motif inspired by an iconic print, 'Winter Capri', taken from the Emilio Pucci archives. Exclusively retouched for this collection, this signature print, a blue flower interlaced with swirls and flames, adds a joyful and elegant Pucci touch to the Guerlain summer products."
I picked up two items: perennial highlighting fave Météorites and the powder brush.
Guerlain did a great job putting different parts of the print on the sides of the Météorites box.
Interestingly, the sides of the container are plain blue – the 2007 Météorites container had the print on the sides as well as the top.
With flash:
Here is the blue-tipped brush, complete with its own Pucci-printed carrying case.
There was another collectible item that the Museum, sadly, did not have the funds to purchase (I suppose I could have, but that would have meant not buying other necessary summer 2012 items): the Bronzing Powder & Blush. The shiny wood case was supposed to be reminiscent of yacht paneling. "The star of the collection, this exquisite powder and blush combines two success stories: Guerlain’s legendary Terracotta powder and Emilio Pucci’s iconic prints. The world of beauty and fashion unite in a single case to beautifully enhance the complexion. Half bronzer and half blush, this hybrid powder has a lightweight formula and offers a universal harmony of four shades. The outer case pays tribute to the paneling of a Riva yacht with an ebony-colored varnished wood. Presented in an accessory pouch printed with the Pucci motif, this is the ultimate summery accessory."
(image from nordstrom.com)
I didn't buy it because it was the most expensive of the three items shown here, and I think the Météorites is always the "star" of any Guerlain collection, no matter what the ad copy says. Still, it's a gorgeous piece and if I didn't have to sacrifice buying something else, I would have gotten it.
Anyway, let's talk a little about the "Winter Capri" print. I couldn't really find anything on the history of it – the design process used by Pucci to create it, how it was used previously, etc. I do know that it still exists today in scarf form:
(images from saksfifthavenue.com and polyvore.com)
I searched through many runway archives to see if it had been used there, and sure enough, it made an appearance in the fall 2010 collection.
(images from style.com)
I think it works better in the bright blue and aqua hues in the Guerlain collaboration, but it was very interesting to see it take a darker turn for a fall collection. Other than this example and the scarves I was unable to turn up anything else on the print. I do wonder why Pucci decided to resurrect it for this particular collection, although I'm happy they were using an actual Pucci print. For the 2007 collaboration Guerlain came up with a new, "Pucci-inspired" print, which I did find a little odd (although very pretty) – why not just use an existing one? In any case, I'm enjoying the 2012 collaboration more than their previous one. I find the print more appealing, and I like that it was a unique one from the archives that hadn't been done to death.
Do you like this collection? And are you a Pucci fan?