Proenza Schouler
NEW YORK, February 12, 2003
By
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez presented their first major collection at the National Arts Club this season, courtesy, in part, of the Ecco Domani Foundation and Vogue. Both Parsons graduates, the duo came up by way of jobs at Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors, respectively, and named their label after their mothers. The clothes they showed, though, were as far from matronly as possible—chic, sophisticated and new.Models with “just back from a party” silver-dipped lids paraded through the club in slouchy jackets, legging-slim pants and beautifully cut bustier tops with racing backs. The tightly focused collection was rendered in a muted palette of mostly black and charcoal, and it conjured a distinctly cinematic feel: a heroine slinking through a smoky Paris (or New York) evening, her legs lengthened by black patent stilettos extending out from under a cocoony jacket that falls suggestively off her shoulder.
What marked the collection as American was the duo’s focus on transforming basic wardrobe staples into desirable luxury items. “Long johns” were worked in black silk, and leather coats were painted white and trimmed at the collar with raccoon. Even the humble hoodie got a new life when paired with a pencil skirt and black cashmere bolero on Ann Catherine and worn, by Danielle Zinaich, under a sleeveless coat with Fred Leighton diamonds. More accessible sparkle was offered by way of Proenza Schouler’s sequin, satin and metallic gauze bustiers, which drew appreciative looks from an audience that included Isaac Mizrahi, Debbie Harry and a heavy-duty array of top editors and retailers.
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