Fausto Puglisi embodies the ultimate Roberto Cavalli ambassador. His curious mind, bubbly personality and globetrotting nature match the dynamic spirit of the house. For one, in offering a remote walkthrough of his pre-fall 2026 collection, Puglisi tuned on Teams from Las Vegas, where he landed right after a trip to his beloved New York to attend the amfAR benefit gala. A few hours after the charity event, he would have hit the airport again, jetting off to Hong Kong to join the inaugural WWD x SJ Global Fashion and Business Conference on Wednesday.
Puglisi’s on-the-move lifestyle and busy agenda somehow mirrored the different elements charmingly converging into his latest effort. The designer’s starting point was also New York but in the ‘70s, with an emphasis on the city’s role as a melting pot of cultures and its cinematic appeal, evoked through references to masterpieces such as Martin Scorsese’s 1976 movie “Taxi Driver.”
Fitting in with the ‘70s roots of the Roberto Cavalli brand and its unapologetic, free-spirited ethos, these features collided in a groovy lineup that kept silhouettes simple to highlight one of the house’s signatures: prints.
Most of these patterns were developed by Puglisi and his team, including a patchwork motif splashed on fluid fringed skirts and silk slipdresses that was the photographic result of a combination of leather and metal chains the Sicilian designer first created for a Cavalli collection two seasons ago.
Puglisi also swapped the brand’s famed snakeskin graphic for different takes on a butterfly theme. The scaled-up proportions of the animal’s wings gave a polka dot-type look to flouncy frocks and kilts, while a bolder alternative in Technicolor hues lent an arty vibe to sensual dresses.
Zebra patterns, tie-dye effects and jaguar spots blended with roses added to the visual flamboyance, popping on denim separates, flared suits, frilled long skirts and headscarves.
The prints galore were grounded in a mainly earthy color palette that evoked Nevada’s desert landscapes, while the golden threads in handsome devoré minidresses winked to Las Vegas’ dazzling lights. Far Eastern influences surfaced in the lineup’s final part, marked by the archival motif Puglisi reprised here as well as a botanical pattern of yore blooming on frocks and a flowy silk robe.
When patterns were tamed the designer let textures speak, as in the fringed leather jackets with a lived-in effect, the suede vests dotted with studs and the standout opening faux-fur coat that would give a whole new — and elevated — meaning to cozy airport dressing.
