PatBo Merges 1970s Glamour With 'Tropical Opulence' for Spring 2024

PatBo Spring 2024.

Photo&colon; Launchmetrics Spotlight

If one thing is for certain during New York Fashion Week, it’s that PatBo will always bring the glitz and glamour to the runway.

For the label’s Spring 2024 show, designer Patricia Bonaldi stayed true to the signature couture-style beading and Brazilian flair that gives the brand its reputation for splashy and ornate designs; only this time, she put muted tones and natural materials center stage, rather than the typical crystals and saturated hues.

“The neutral element is new for me. This collection has a lot of neutral shades and palettes, and the beads are more realistic now,” Bonaldi tells Fashionista. “I always embroider with more fancy materials like crystals, but now I’m getting to use wood elements to create a more natural look and translate it into the couture world.”

That inclusion of natural materials was inspired by Tropicalia, a late 1960s musical movement that took place in Brazil, Bonaldi’s home country. “Tropicalia was very boho, but, of course, still tropical. I think I’m reinventing that time in Brazil in a modern way,” says Bonaldi. “It’s a lot of textures and mixing elements. My brand is never minimalist, and I really like to experiment with materials.”

Those mixed elements are no small feat, either. Look 37 from the collection — a white, long-sleeved, fully beaded gown — was hand-crafted over the course of 60 days by one of Bonaldi’s artisans at her Uberlandia, Brazil-based school.

“All of these garments were made in my hometown, where I have a school that has been teaching women how to do this handwork for more than 15 years,” says Bonaldi. “When you’re watching the runway show, you couldn’t imagine how much work goes into these garments, but it’s so important. It’s the whole story behind the collection.”

Bonaldi’s school, founded in 2010, has taught more than 500 women a variety of craftsmanship skills at no cost to the students, all while having them help finalize PatBo collections each season. Bonaldi explains, “Many people open their own businesses after finishing the training, but if they want to stay with us, we have work for them and I hire them.”

Beyond the neutral looks in the collection, Bonaldi also incorporated other ’60s and ’70s references by way of feather-adorned denim sets, lacy open vests with beaded fringe and colorful metallic halter neck gowns reminiscent of a Bob Mackie-clad Cher from the ’70s.

Still, says the designer, she wanted to keep things feeling fresh. “I was trying to avoid common colors of the past. I really like the combination of purple and yellow in this collection,” she notes. “Whatever isn’t neutral is a luxe shade that feels like a breath of fresh air.”

Aside from the artisan work of the clothing, another standout of the collection is the bag collaboration between the brand and Brooklyn-based glassblowing artist Josh Raiffe, who has also worked with Coperni on its viral glass purses.

The fragile accessories will be limited edition, but indeed available for sale, somewhere in the $500 to $600 price range, according to the PatBo team.

“For me, it’s a work of art. All of this is art.”

See every look from the PatBo Spring 2024 show below.