Proenza Schouler made a convincing pitch for the business woman’s wardrobe with a show that mixed sublimely soft tailoring with exaggerated 80s proportions.The Proenza woman had a touch of 80s Donna Karan this season, with tops almost looking like untucked bodysuit, and a color scheme veering towards cream and gray. Think Princess Diana in a boxy suit and white sneakers. After a season of strong denim shapes, and then a softer approach for fall last year, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez seemed to have hit their stride by finding inspiration from their home of New York.
Tailoring wasn’t the only story. Jack and Lazaro found renewed interest in the flowing, cutaway gowns they so love, both in their signature monochromatic palette and new colorful styles. Fran Summers looked fresh in a gathered top and skirt that rippled with a painterly palette of blush and seafoam green, and Adut Akech repeated the look in gorgeous burnt orange and hoop earrings. Elsewhere, tuxedo lapels added slightly mafiosa flair to a jumpsuit and dress, and a mottled pattern inspired a sudden urge to roll around on a cool marble surface. The variety of looks still towards a cohesive vision — that of a woman on the way up.
The finale music, fittingly, was Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me,” anthem of the newly empowered (and often freshly single). The collection spoke of self-advocacy and daring — you want to ask for a raise so you can go buy their no nonsense handbags (if it doesn’t work out, surely their collaboration with Birkenstock, which the models carried, will be more affordable). Proenza Schouler continues to advocate for a more beautiful world.
