Tribal, graphic, urban, cohesive, refined, sophisticated, edgy- I could go on, but these were just a few of the words that came to me while viewing this collection from Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, designers for the house of Proenza Schouler.
Now, I can't say how much of a love-hate relationship i've had with Proenza; I usually love the accesories and shoes, mostly hate the clothes. But I also have to say how much, with the passing of each recent collection i'm getting to love and appreciate these designers and this label more and more. They are meticulous in their craft, and nowhere is this more seen than in this collection- not a single look felt out of place.
The pattern play was engaging, quirky and entirely beautiful, one that drew from urban, modern sources, as much as it did Native America. As the collection progressed, the patterns morphed into a brilliantly hued diamond jacquard, used on a shift dress, and diamond-shaped embroideries on a wool long sleeve top, worn with a blanket skirt.
A macrame skirt, in a turquoise and black pattern, given great movement by swinging fringe, worn with a black suede top, and what appears to be an ivory necklace, was a definite stand-out for me; who else but these guys could make macrame cool?
Proenza Schouler, like Marc Jacobs who showed before them, has the potential to be game-changers in fashion. "I think there's a whole youth generation that really listens to these guys," said senior market director Meredith Melling Burke in a backstage interview at the show. And I couldn't agree with her more.
The designers captured the best and brightest of the season's palette- green, blue, orange and red, all against a backdrop of black, mixing feathers with wool, silk, soft panne and leather along the way.
