Capucine De Wulf’s flagship pop-up at Bloomingdale’s in New York City is an experience of maximalism, with over-the-top florals on the floor and walls, and even in sculpture.
Along with this visual beauty comes brand cofounder Capucine De Wulf Gooding’s overarching message as told through her jewelry: Life is a garden, and women are its gardeners.
“Given this exciting opportunity, this was a moment we could connect a meaning, an intention, a story with people,” Gooding says. “There is a lot of symbolism in the pop-up—I really dorked out on it.”
Dorked out indeed, but in the most sophisticated way. Gooding says the design of her inaugural pop-up boutique was motivated by several milestones in her life, including her approaching 50th birthday and her three daughters moving out of their teen years and into womanhood.
The whole family—Gooding’s daughters as well as her husband and Capucine De Wulf cofounder David Gooding—helped plan and install the Bloomingdale’s pop-up, which opened Aug. 30 and continues through January 2025.
In addition to Capucine De Wulf’s signature collections like Mermaid Garden, the boutique carries a new limited-edition necklace and earring set called Scarab Empress, featuring scarabs (beetles) set with amethyst, onyx, tiger’s-eye, labradorite, and turquoise.
Decor within the pop-up includes five-foot-tall golden flower sculptures and a custom 14-foot botanical tapestry, which hangs behind the jewelry cases. The pop-up is a dream project, Gooding says, and she feels proud of how it turned out.
“I’m a storyteller and a huge lover of life. I try to craft as many moments as possible with intention. There are overt ways to do this, with signs that say things like ‘Live, laugh, love,’ and then there’s how we wanted to do it—with finding beauty with symbolism.”
Gooding sees her daughters and other women metaphorically planting seeds wherever they go, and these seeds are the love they share with the world.
“Love is everything,” she says. “It is the beginning and the end. It is the solution, the healer, the inspirer.
“With that, I thought about the people and the women in my life that inspire me metaphorically. They are gardeners, meaning that they bloom where they are planted. They don’t look for greener grass in other pastures—they cultivate what they have. They make it work for them and make it beautiful.”
In choosing large florals for the pop-up, Gooding says she thought of a wildflower meadow where every individual bloom is beautiful but together the flowers create a magnificent display.
“All types of beauty can be celebrated in a wildflower meadow and coexist,” she says. “We wanted to show the diversity of natural beauty and how that is exhibited in creation.”
Gooding, who is not a trained jewelry designer, says having her work in front of current and prospective clients in this pop-up is a highlight for her jewelry brand.
“I’m Texan and Parisian by birth, which means I’m not too fussy or too sweet,” Gooding says. “The French side is from my phenomenal grandmother, and the Monique cuff is designed for her. I want to celebrate the woman and make her feel beautiful. Jewelry and dressing is adorning yourself, and that’s an act of self-care and self-love.”
Top: Capucine De Wulf will have its boutique at Bloomingdale’s in New York through early next year. (Photos courtesy of Capucine De Wulf)
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