Founder and designer Danielle Laraque’s latest Fall/Winter 2024 collection, “Dollhouse” draws inspiration from her childhood. Playing with American Girl dolls and Bratz dolls was a way she used to pass the time as a kid–she also began sketching designs and sewing clothing at an early age. Dress-up was another hobby for the budding creative. Danielle feels Laraque her eponymous brand was born when she was five. Some of her earliest pieces included mini-skirts and off-shoulder tops. As the designer grew older she spent time building upon the intrinsic design skills that seemed to come naturally to her.
The new collection features dreamy silhouettes with puffy tulle, lace skirts, ruffles, bows, and other whimsical touches. Danielle’s grown-up version of her dolls was born through this collection. The collection took on its highest form alongside her creative director Alani Noëlle, who assists in actualizing the designer’s sketches to reality with the meticulously chosen color stories and fabrics. Usually, the designer free sketches to keep herself inspired, and through sketching, she was transported back to her beginnings of drawing clothes as a girl. She knew that she wanted her customers to feel like life-sized dolls reminiscent of their girlhood days.
Another main muse for this collection and every collection is the designer’s mother who loved fashion and style. She would shop in different countries like with her mother, which exposed her to a large variety of garments, fabrics, patterns, and colors. “She instilled confidence and open-mindedness in me when it came to the way I viewed clothes,” the designer shared in an email.
The 24-piece collection started with 16 pieces initially, but Laraque and Noëlle became largely inspired by the designs they’d created and decided to expand. Bustier tops in girly pink prints, cutout long-sleeve dresses in white and black, tiered strapless tops, and dresses in sheer fabrics make up most of the collection. There are also satin floral sets included in the collection. On-trend capris with ruffled hems, bow-detailed pieces, and a drop waist tulle dress are a few other significant items.
The designer’s confidence is expressed clearly in her pieces. “When I’m dressed in a way that brings me the most happiness. I want that energy to translate through our garments and to our customers” she adds.
Shop Laraque’s “Dollhouse” Fall/Winter 2024 collection on daniellelaraque.com.
