Last season the boys of Proenza Schouler were very flamboyant in their tastes and styles, and this manifested itself as frills and ruffles all over the runway. This season, they have done a complete 180 and you are seeing some seriously switched gears with sleek contemporary lines that will be very clean, and very fresh this spring.
Angie Harmon was definitely making stomachs rumble as she took the title of fashion plate at the Proenza Schouler fashion show for New York’s Fashion Week F/W 2008. Angie is going beyond the call of her standard actressing duties by working for InStyle magazine on Fashion Week trends. She showed off her know-how by wearing a gorgeous gold satin wrap-bodice dress by none other than Proenza Schouler, and paired the look with tights and black pumps.
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Where would fashion be if Lazaro Hernandez (left) became a doctor and Jack McCullough (right) spent his life blowing glass, as they originally intended? Not sure, but glad Fate had other plans for them. This design house is made of a two man team by the names of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCullough. Gotta be the two cutest boys in the fashion biz as well, I might add. Proenza Schouler was formed by adopting the two maiden names of their mothers. How can you not love the guys who name their business after mom? Both men were born in 1979 and met while studying fashion design at New York’s Parsons School of Design.
Lazaro completed his internship under Michael Kors, while McCullough studied under Marc Jacobs. At the time of graduation, Michael Kors donated fabric for their collection, and Pologeorgis offered fur. This combination made this team the Parsons Designers of the year, and their graduate collection was soon bought out by Barney’s New York, Harvey Nichols in London, and Colette in Paris. Barney’s in fact took a bold move and bought their entire collection direct from the Parsons School Thesis Show, not a move that happens often in the world of fashion, not even at Parsons. Since then they have been on the cover of Women’s Wear Daily and awarded Ecco Domani Foundation scholarships.
Their current studio is located in New York’s SoHo District, and you will see these ripe young lads producing some very impressive collections from this studio. Effortlessly sexy is the only way to describe their darkly sophisticated collection. These men know how to cut clothes with very polished looks that will flatter any figure. The look is edgy, but romantic with flapperesque sheer dresses, and plays on fur and unique fabric lines that are so sturdy they rival upholstery fabric.
And here we have another team who is not only creative and inspiring (and don’t forget cute), but good business sense. They are also one of the renowned contributors to the Go Target line.
Generally, I am a huge fan of the Proenza Schouler boys Jack McCollough and LAzaro Hernandez, but this particular collection did not exactly meet my expectations. Inspiration behind this set was a trip to the Donald Judd Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas and a road trip involving paper airplanes. The folds from the planes were transformed into the folds you see happening in their collection. That is interesting when you know a designer takes an ordinary activity and gets a vision that inspires art in fashion.
What you see happening with this collection is a series of dresses in jewel-tones and silk in beautiful folds and draping that is becoming signature to the PS line. Jackets as well were given the same folding and draping treatment and were paired with contrasted stockings or bright pumps. Slouchy pants were also big on the PS runway and came in every fabric from twill to silk.
Construction was key to this collection, as can be seen by their charcoal wool coat that looks as if it was put on from the inside out. Backs of jackets were cut away to expose seams and lining, and shearling was cut apart and pieced together like a puzzle. The color theme was truly more gray in the heather gray sense which leads me to wonder if the boys are foreshadowing that gray will be the new black AGAIN next fall. As their collection moved towards the cocktail hour, they popped some color and added some sequined dresses to give the collection just the pizzazz it needed.
Overall, this is not my fave PS collection. I saw a lot of looks resembling the last, which speaks to wearability and mix and matching, but would have liked to see a little more of the mix it up factor. Also, more color would have given this line a little more punch. However, it is PS, it is only ONE collection, they will still not cease to impress in the future I am sure.
