Prune Goldschmidt RTW Spring 2024
Each season, Prune Goldschmidt packs a suitcase and comes back with inspiration.
This time it took her to India, and the French designer returned with the shapes and colors of silks and saris for her collection.
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Goldschmidt looked to the saris for shape, using draping on skirts and dresses, as well as slashing tops in places to recall the way a single wrap of 18 feet of fabric gathers around the body.
The silk jacquards were reproduced in suits with Nehru collars with mint and gold, while jumpsuits in fuchsia and marigold made their mark. All her practicality was in play, with ample pockets, elastic waists and generous cuts meant to work on all body shapes.
Traditional kurtas — trousers paired with a long tunic — were a practical option; she updated them with puffy sleeves or front keyhole-neck ties. A striped version could be worn as a set, or swapped out with a shorter top option for a pajama feel.
Goldschmidt was inspired by the women she met there. “What moved me most were the Indian women themselves, who look like goddesses in their saris, whatever their morphology. Even if their circumstances are beyond modest, they impart a message of hope, beauty, kindness and joie de vivre that I wanted to transpose in this collection,” she said.
Like last year’s Morocco-inspired collection, she regularly mines her travels to mostly good effect, particularly in the colors and richness of textiles. The prints she creates are bold and bright, but should take care not to tread beyond inspiration into appropriation and caricature.
Goldschmidt sourced the blazer buttons made of enamel and 22-karat gold from Jaipur, while embroidery on white cotton looks was also produced there.
Elsewhere she has introduced a monogram based on her profile topped with a golden crown meant to invoke her “Alice in Wonderland” inspirations. It’s embroidered into button-down shirts and on V-neck sweaters.
The three-year-old brand recently opened its first boutique in Paris and is now in 40 stores worldwide, with 10 in the U.S. and 10 in Japan. The U.S. is its biggest growth target, with a first West Coast boutique planned in San Francisco. Goldschmidt has just started expanding into Italy and Scandinavia.
She intends to showcase her more adventurous pieces in the new Paris store, with all the prints and an extended size run from 34 to 46. She has also launched her first handbag, the Bow, which comes in three sizes.
The new 860-square-foot store is bursting with color, anchored by a giant red chair from former Cartier designer Lara Bohnic. The oversized seating doubles down on the “Alice in Wonderland” vibe, complete with a rabbit in a Prune Goldschmidt signature ruffle collar.
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Launch Gallery: Prune Goldschmidt RTW Spring 2024
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