New York Fashion Week: Proenza Schouler gets real
Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez showed their spring collection Wednesday night on Wall Street, in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district. The symbolism was apt, because this lineup, more than almost any other the designers have shown, should be money in the bank.
The look: Zippy, sporty prep with a craftsy bohemian side. Scarfy silk blouses and dresses. Skirts and dresses in paper-thin leather with hemlines that hit at the knee. Tailored blazers and coats in a patchwork of Prince of Wales checks.
The collection seemed to be a polished and commercial distillation of many of the designers’ best ideas that have come before, including color-blocked and perforated leather, swinging fringe and craftsy crochet knits.
Key pieces: Scarfy silk blouse in black-and-white grid pattern with green sweater vest and bone-colored leather skirt. Double-breasted blazer with black and Prince of Wales paneling, worn with black-and-white paneled paper-thin leather full skirt. Patchworked Prince of Wales and whipsnake shift dress. Black-and-white crochet Polo sweater and cobalt blue crochet skirt. White perforated paper leather short-sleeve shirt and full skirt. Navy argyle-cutout-pattern sweater over black woven silk-fringe skirt. Low-heel sandals with metal ankle straps, and kiltie block heel mules.
The verdict: Grown-up and immensely wearable, even for a woman over the age of 22 who doesn’t hold a job in fashion, but maybe even works on Wall Street. The color and craft were impressive, but this collection made business sense too.
