Fausto Puglisi sharpens the Cavalli spirit for Pre-Fall 2026 with a lookbook that channels the cinematic pulse of 1970s New York while embracing the house’s enduring devotion to expressive glamour. The collection unfolds with a kinetic rhythm, translating Puglisi’s own globe-spanning energy into silhouettes that balance nostalgia with a distinctly contemporary Cavalli confidence.

A ’70s sensibility anchors the visual language: elongated lines, fluid movement, and pared-back forms that allow the prints to take center stage. New York’s multicultural vibrancy is echoed through textile exploration, with pattern becoming narrative. The signature patchwork motif, once rendered in leather and chain, returns as a photographic print that animates fringed skirts and silk slip dresses with a crafted yet unburdened spirit.

Animal motifs, a fundamental Cavalli code, are reimagined with a lighter hand. Snakeskin recedes in favour of butterfly-wing abstractions that read as playful polka dots or erupt into painterly Technicolor. Zebra stripes, jaguar spots, roses, and tie-dye passages collide across denim sets, tailored flares, sweeping skirts, and headscarves, creating a maximalist collage that remains grounded within the brand’s established lexicon.

The palette’s earthy warmth tempers the exuberance, recalling the Nevada desert, while metallic threads shimmering through devoré minidresses offer a brush of Las Vegas nocturnal allure. Toward the finale, archival botanical motifs re-emerge, blooming across dresses and a billowing silk robe that introduces a serene counterbalance to the earlier urban momentum.

Where prints step back, texture steps forward. Fringed leather with a softened patina, studded suede vests, and a standout faux-fur coat – voluminous, plush, utterly indulgent – demonstrate Puglisi’s instinct for material storytelling. These tactile interludes expand the Cavalli vocabulary, adding depth beyond surface pattern.

Pre-Fall 2026 ultimately delivers a vibrant, well-calibrated expression of Cavalli’s free-spirited DNA. While its reliance on print occasionally approaches saturation, the controlled silhouettes and thoughtful textural shifts preserve cohesion, resulting in a collection that feels spirited yet measured, nostalgic yet unmistakably forward-facing.