You never know what you’re going to get from a Prabal Gurung runway. Will it be intricate embroidery and cocooning shapes? Party-girl minidresses or suited separates? This season, instead, he opened with a batch of fluid simplicity. One draped gown and three slender backless maxidresses set the tone for a quieter collection, but that doesn’t mean the pieces were lacking in detail. “This season the word that kept coming to mind was freedom, freedom in terms of inhabiting yourself,” he said. When the designer was home in Nepal in June, he admired the dhunge dharas, the communal public water fountains carved from stone, as well as the flowing saris that women wear, often with jasmine and marigold woven into their hair. These ideas served as a jumping-off point for many of the liquid silhouettes, including a pleasantly bright chartreuse draped dress.
Conversely, Gurung was also inspired by something that evokes a totally different image: When in town for the Met Gala in May, he and some friends hit an all-night party in Brooklyn, where the early-morning energy of the dance floor made a lasting impression, even if he’s not setting out to make ravewear quite yet. “Two opposite worlds, in a communal space, having an incredible time—that kind of unlocked the whole thing for me,” he said. Both marigold and sunrise were represented in multiple cheery yellow dresses in the flower’s color, the most fun being a high-neck crocheted piece. Elsewhere, florals took a delicate approach, even when embroidered on cropped jackets and matching sarongs tied over pants. One lilac-hued dress casually slipped off the shoulder and was tied up at the hem as if to get it wet on either the bath stones or the slippery dance floor.
With such simplicity, Gurung also set out to challenge himself technically. For a series of linen draped dresses, the specific effect he wanted took him more than three months to get right. Finally, he tried lining the fabric with silk organza—a material he joked is more precious than the one on the outside—and it all clicked, though the drape itself could have benefited from higher placement on the models’ waists. The most successful use of the technique came in the form of a striking red gown with a bustle of ostrich feathers trailing down to the floor. For spring, restraint was Gurung’s ultimate winning statement.