Italian designer Emilio Pucci founded his namesake fashion house in the late 1940s, becoming one of the most recognizable figures in postwar resort fashion. A former Olympic skier and member of the Florentine aristocracy, Pucci first attracted attention with his innovative skiwear before expanding into colorful sportswear, dresses, and accessories. His swirling, kaleidoscopic prints, often inspired by Mediterranean landscapes, Renaissance art, and geometric forms, became his signature. By the 1960s, Pucci's lightweight silk jerseys and exuberant patterns had made him a favorite of fashionable women including Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, and Sophia Loren. His designs remain celebrated for their joyful use of color and their distinctly Italian sense of glamour.