A 10-day silent meditation retreat was the starting point for Prabal Gurung’s fall 2023 collection.
“It’s something my mom has done for 25 years…and I decided to go, it was challenging and difficult but it reconnected me to the way I was brought up. So I wanted to bring to the show a bit of that moment with the skies and stars you never see in New York City, and bring a little back from Nepal, too,” he said backstage.
The Nepalese American, like so many New York designers, has long been inspired by cross-cultural exchange. With this collection he used the sari draping, cropped choli tops and rich colors of his homeland to inform leggy, midriff-baring looks for urban glamazons.
High-low slipdresses and sweeping long skirts came in burnt orange, saffron, fuchsia, burgundy and other night brights, while low-waisted trousers with silk print sash cummerbunds were topped with rounded cropped jackets with repurposed shearling collars, or asymmetric cropped intarsia knits.
Butterflies as a symbol of metamorphosis became abstracted patterns on intarsia knit gowns and asymmetric sweaters or sleek bodysuits.
And sheer lace minidresses, draped and knotted satin gowns with cutouts, crystal embroidered dusters, cocoon coats and jackets put on the glitz.
Silent retreats aside, it was clear from the cheers from his fan club — including Nicky Hilton, Becky G, Sarita Choudhury and Kelsea Ballerini — that Gurung knows his customer is a diva, and she doesn’t want to dress quietly.
