Emilio Pucci

Peter Dundas' mission for Resort was twofold—to take the Emilio Pucci girl to the seaside and to firm up the new image that he began establishing at the house for Fall. The second goal informed the first: Even the beachiest of looks—rolled-hem shorts and an eagle-print T-shirt, say, or a floor-skimming cotton jersey tank dress—had a graphic, sexy, rock chick sensibility that meant they wouldn't be out of place on the city streets. Dundas continued to play with the zigzag print that he borrowed from the founder's 1957 Palio collection, but he also added one of his own to the mix: a shell pattern that managed to evoke palm fronds on a button-down blouse paired with high-waisted, pleated pants. Applied to the layered chiffon skirts of a bandage-bodice gown, that same pattern started to resemble the provocative work of H.R. Giger. Dundas has the house heritage and the attitude thing down cold—not bad at all for his second outing at the helm.
—Nicole Phelps

Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani continued the exploration of eighties style that he began in earnest with his Fall collection, except this time around he did it with bright colors and bold geometric prints instead of his accustomed shades of gray. It made for a lively change of pace that might win him some new converts, and at the very least, these clothes should appeal to his many fans' youthful sides. It's hard to resist the allure of a purple polka-dot print mini-caftan and its associations with the Italian Riviera and other glamorous destinations. But for those not quite ready to don an electric blue shorts suit or a bustier dress with a panel of fireworks sequins on the front, there were some pinstriped pantsuits in the mix. Take note, though—the pinstripes are pink.
—Nicole Phelps

Marni

"She's a kooky, really rich girl, who likes to play a little with couture pieces but mixed in a young way, slightly haphazard and mad." That was Consuelo Castiglioni's party line on the Marni girl she envisaged for her Resort collection, though you could say that same description fits the Marni girl pretty much any season. There was the same attention to fabric research in silks that look hand-printed, for instance, or in a tweed tulle shot with Lurex. And there was the same vintage-y feel in a dress, say, with pintucked bodice and plissé silk, or in loafers worn with deliberately baggy socks (very Mary McCarthy). But, if anything, the seductive Marni madness was more muted than usual. Delightful details like chalked-on pockets and lapels for cashmere knits were still there, but the subtext of the collection was complement, not clash.
—Tim Blanks