Curtain rises on fall line

To fashion insiders, they are known simply as “the boys.” Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the adorable young New York designers behind the Proenza Schouler clothing label, made their L.A. debut on April 28 at the annual benefit for the Rape Foundation presented by Barneys New York and Hewlett-Packard.

More than 350 guests gathered on the grounds of the home of actress Heather Thomas and entertainment attorney Skip Brittenham for cocktails and dinner, while attendants with HP digital cameras took candid photos and made prints on tiny printers, carried on silver trays.

Ever the clever one, Barneys Creative Director Simon Doonan counted on guests’ being fashionably late. So he told Christina Ricci, Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tori Spelling, Amber Valletta and others that the runway show would start at 7:45 p.m. Instead, it was dinner that started then. And for once, all were in their seats on time.

Ricci, dressed in a satin cocktail dress with one of the designers’ signature bustier tops, introduced guests around her table, where she sat by beau Adam Goldberg. Later, she told the crowd that having Proenza Schouler associated with the foundation, which supports the Rape Treatment Center in Santa Monica, was appropriate because, “For me, these clothes are about a woman being able to feel good in her own body.”

Jeweler Martin Katz’s wife, Kelly, led a spirited silent auction, spurring on pals Rashida Jones, Peggy Lipton, Laurie David, Bob and Linda Gersh to bid, bid, bid. A one-of-a-kind feathered Proenza Schouler coat went for $6,700 to fashion maven Lisa Eisner. The evening raised more than $100,000.

After dinner, the crowd moved into a tent for a runway show of the designers’ fall collection of 1960s-inspired cashmere mini-dresses, chain-mail tanks and color-blocked chiffon gowns with bustier tops.

Hernandez explained Proenza Schouler’s vision: “When we’re designing, we like to think of a cool girl raiding her mom’s couture closet.”