Prune Goldschmidt | Bordeaux Quiet Luxury Women's Fashion : Ruffled Collars, Puff Sleeves, Bows, French Stripes, Navy Blue
Prune Goldschmidt is a fashion design brand founded by French fashion designer Prune Goldschmidt, dedicated to portraying the image of a romantic, confident, and determined woman. The brand’s most iconic pieces include ruffled and flounced shirts and trench coats, navy double-breasted suits, and high-waisted, wide-legged trousers that drag on the floor.
As a quiet luxury brand, Prune Goldschmidt excels more in design and tailoring rather than in fabric. This article also focuses on organizing some of their beautiful designs. As for the fabrics, I checked them at Lane Crawford, and overall, the materials are mainly synthetic fibers, cotton, with very little wool—similar to Roland Mouret. Their fabrics are quite comparable, with wool being a rarity.
Currently, in my mind, Prune Goldschmidt belongs to the same category as brands like Toteme ,CO and the upcoming La Collection, which are mid-range quiet luxury brands. Compared to these four brands, Prune Goldschmidt stands out for its innovative designs—it's not just minimalist, but blends classical elements like ruffles, puffed sleeves, and pays close attention to color and outfit coordination.
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Since she was five years old, the castles and lakes near Prune Goldschmidt's home became her playground. Growing up in such a prosperous yet dreamlike landscape, located in the heart of the textile industry, gradually cultivated her exceptional fashion sense and design talent. Under the artistic influence of her godmother, a graduate of the Fine Arts Academy, Prune gradually began to form her own perspective and pursuit of fashion. She would make exaggerated high-waisted skirts and pants with her godmother, paired with delicate Peter Pan collar shirts, using decorative fabrics with oversized floral patterns to make trousers, realizing the independent ingenuity in her imagination.
I've noticed that those working in fashion often have relatives involved in related industries or are born in areas with beautiful natural environments and a textile tradition.
After becoming an adult, she joined the renowned French fashion brand Sonia Rykiel. Her work here not only allowed her to continue her fashion creations but also refined her design skills. However, to fully devote herself to raising her children, she temporarily put her fashion dreams on hold. As her children grew, her artistic instincts stirred once again, leading her to return to her hometown. In 2018, she opened a studio in Bordeaux and founded the eponymous fashion brand, Prune Goldschmidt.
This is a pattern I’ve observed: many female designers start their fashion brands after their children are older. For example, Doen and Gabriela Hearst
The founder of Sonia Rykiel has passed away, and Sonia was famous for its striped patterns. Currently, the brand is facing difficulties, and its designs are fairly average.
Prune Goldschmidt also incorporates striped designs, with signature pieces such as striped shirts and wide-leg striped pants.
Striped sweaters and striped wide-leg pants. Here, you can notice Prune Goldschmidt’s brand styling: she enjoys layering sweaters or blazers with shirts, exposing the unique collar and extra hem of the shirt to create a sense of layering.
The buttons on her sweaters and blazers are also noteworthy. Prune Goldschmidt prefers to use these golden buttons.
Prune Goldschmidt loves traveling, so each of her collections draws inspiration from her travels in terms of colors, patterns, and outfits. For instance, after traveling to Rajasthan, India, her collection would feature one or two red floral dresses with Indian-inspired details.
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Prune Goldschmidt's designs and styling follow a certain pattern, with some detail elements continuously carried over. Good design-driven brands that do not rely on fabric quality alone all have their unique elements and combinations, which is what gives them their distinctive style—just like the Celine or Miu Miu aesthetics. Prune Goldschmidt also has a strong style, but perhaps Chinese consumers may find it harder to accept compared to the more basic and universally wearable designs of the other two.
Prune Goldschmidt's signature trousers are high-waisted, full-length straight pants that drag on the floor. The waistline is always high—achieved either with a belt, tucking the shirt into the waistband, or through a cropped top.
The best-selling and most iconic piece is the left denim pant, which is also available at Lane Crawford. A sales associate once asked me to try it on, but I knew it wouldn't work for me due to my height. Plus, floor-length pants have limited practical use, though they look great.
Another series features more friendly carrot pants, which are not as long, and typically have pleat detailing around the waist. However, this isn't one of Prune Goldschmidt's main items.
Overall, the high-waist design continues to dominate. These three images, from left to right, show the characteristic ruffled edges, exaggerated bows, and epaulettes. The first two details can be found in other Prune Goldschmidt ready-to-wear pieces, while the more dramatic bows and tassels are featured in just this one design.
The shoes paired with these outfits are likely Carel's Mary Janes, which I’ve mentioned in my article on The Row Ballet Flats and Mary Jane Shoes Too Expensive ? Check Out These 12 Affordable Alternatives
I have to mention the epaulettes. Personally, I really like them—gold and shiny. Military uniforms across Europe, including in countries like the UK, France, Germany, Russia, and even in Western-influenced nations like Bolivia, often feature these epaulettes. They are truly beautiful.
These two images were taken at the Central Gift Management Center, with the top one showing a visit to Tasmania and the bottom one featuring Simon Bolivar.
Now, let's talk about Prune Goldschmidt's most iconic design element: the ruffled edge.
The classic white shirt with ruffled collars and cuffs is Prune Goldschmidt’s best-selling item. The two oversized bows on the trousers in the image above are also typical of the brand's design features. Their bags often incorporate these large bows as well, though they seem less popular.
The shirt on the right features protruding arms and shoulders, which adopts a clear French suit style, as discussed in 17 Top Luxury Men's Suit Brands for Gentlemen
The short-sleeved shirt uses exaggerated ruffled outlines on the sleeves.
The dress also features a ruffled collar.
Even the trench coats incorporate a ruffled collar.
Here, I’ve written "ruffled edges," but Prune Goldschmidt's website calls it the "Medici collar."
Lastly, another signature feature is the puff sleeve design, which, like the ruffled edges and epaulettes, reflects a classical French style.
A typical Prune Goldschmidt outfit: a Medici collar or ruffled collar paired with a matching high-waisted suit.
Epilogue
A quick mention: Sonia Rykiel's most iconic 2008 SS show had no stripes, instead gaining attention for its ethereal, fairy-like dresses.
Currently, in mainland China, Prune Goldschmidt is only available at Lane Crawford, and you can take advantage of discounts to pick up a piece. Even though the fabrics are primarily cotton or viscose, the unique designs make it worth the investment.
It’s really the first time I’ve encountered such a unique design—it truly draws inspiration from French local culture.
Most "quiet luxury" brands, when you look at them, end up being similar to each other. The key difference comes down to who has the better fabric or who has more refined details in their shoulders, sleeves, and cuts. However, a brand like Prune Goldschmidt, which modernizes classical designs, is much rarer.
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