Think of the queens and princesses of Europe and modest skirt suits with matching pumps come to mind, but there are royal rule breakers. Grace Kelly, the actress turned Princess of Monaco, brought high-wattage Hollywood fashion to the throne. Her daughter, Princess Stéphanie, is beloved by contemporary designers for her ’80s-era statement jewelry and cutout minidresses. The House of Grimaldi is not short on extremely stylish women; now, one of the youngest members of the family is making her mark.
Pauline Ducruet—Stéphanie’s daughter and Grace’s granddaughter—soft-launched her fashion label Alter last year. A graduate of Parsons in New York, she put on her second official Paris Fashion Week show this March, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced France and countries around the world into lockdown. Ducruet’s designs are minimal, almost genderless. Her latest collection includes silk shirtdresses with matching trench coats and deconstructed denim and patchwork jean jackets, most of which she makes using upcycled and vintage fabrics. The ethos of the label, she says, is based on “the idea of alternating pieces already in our closets, updating staple items like leather and jean jackets, simple shirts. It’s also about the idea of equality between sexes and playing up alter egos.”
Ducruet is inspired by various forms of modernist architecture, as well as the women in her family. “My mom always pushed me to express myself and to be myself,” she says, “and that freedom is what has inspired me most.” Well, that and the hand-me-downs. The designer has inherited a cherished leather Harley-Davidson jacket from her mother and a sleek beige Givenchy coat that once belonged to her grandmother.
While isolating with her family in Monaco, Ducruet has been hard at work figuring out new ways to move her young brand forward. “It’s been difficult as a new label to stay positive about the future of the fashion industry,” she says, but she’s doing so by working on her next collection and staying focused on Alter’s core values of gender diversity, sustainability, and slow fashion practices. Call it a more progressive royal style for a new generation.
