Emanuel Ungaro was born in Aix-en-Provence to Italian immigrant parents and trained under his tailor father before working for Balenciaga and Courrèges. In 1965 he opened his own house in Paris, and by 1967 it was on Avenue Montaigne, where it has stayed. The ready-to-wear line Parallèle launched in 1968, the first fragrance Diva came in 1983, and in 1980 he won the Dé d'or for best haute couture collection. The house is known for clashing bright colors and prints, all of it combined with draping. That is the lens I bring for the dresses here. The Fiona draped floral print mini dress is the clearest link to that idea, the Gigi pleated dress and Imani dress are the easy ones, and the Maris sequined hand beaded knee length dress is for a night with a lot of light. Evening gowns are the Poppy lace back halter column gown, the Evie sequined halterneck gown and the Abigal mock neck cape gown. If you want a longer look at how dresses got louder, this story on bolder evening dresses is a good companion.

The blouses are where the Ungaro habit of mixing prints and texture is easiest to wear. The Aviva floral polka dot silk blouse, Darby paisley print chiffon blouse and Odessa floral blouse carry the prints, and the Kenzie feather trimmed satin blouse, Luna feather cuff satin blouse, Claire Strass feather cuff turtleneck blouse and Logan feather cuff floral print blouse add movement at the wrist. The Nastasia sheer sleeve bead and sequin blouse is the evening piece, and the Trina tweed cardigan is a tailored layer. I would let one blouse do the talking, and wear it with a plain trouser from the next group. For a deeper read on the polka dot idea, my favorite is a guide to dotted tops.

Ungaro's trousers have names like Kyra, Stella and Kai, and the group comes in several versions. The Kyra satin trousers, Kai wide leg satin pants and Kai satin pants are the smooth ones, while the Leighton floral print hammered satin pants bring the print back. Two sets pair a blazer with trousers: Sia and Kyra, and Arya and Stella. The Edith tweed knee length skirt, the Alma beaded fringe tweed midi skirt and the Rachel sequined knee length skirt cover the skirt side, with the Darby skirt as the plain one. What I would skip is wearing a sequined skirt with a heavily beaded blouse, because the result fights itself. Pair the Rachel skirt with a simple satin top instead, and read this guide to satin pants for the cuts.

The final group is the dressier one. The Kace sequin embellished midi shirtdress, the Harriet belted maxi shirtdress and the Iris floral print maxi shirtdress make a shirt the star of the day. The Gretchen floral print maxi dress with cape is the grand one. For jackets, the Bria satin crop jacket, Norma single button lace jacket, Leny beaded short sleeve jacket and Georgie lace sleeve jacket sit over almost anything, from a slip dress to a simple trouser. If a jacket is already beaded or laced, I would keep everything underneath quiet and let the jacket carry the room. In our fashion dreams she walks down Avenue Montaigne in the Bria jacket over a plain dress, and no one can look away. Tweed is a good friend to these jackets, and our tweed edit goes further.

My Ungaro wardrobe would be one print, one satin trouser and one jacket that turns heads. Emanuel Ungaro left the house in 2004, and since 2021 Kobi Halperin has led it, so the label has a new chapter while still being about color and draping. For an evening with a dress code, a black tie guest guide is where I would start looking.

To round out the look, see Scanlan Theodore Dresses and Kim Shui Jackets & Dresses.