Proenza Schouler
NEW YORK, September 12, 2005
By
So much for minimalism. Not that Proenza Schouler's Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough have ever endorsed austerity, but after this duo's Arts and Crafts-inflected spring collection, the much buzzed-about trend may be dead in the water. Working in a shadowy palette of black, gray, silver, and white, the designers established a restricted silhouette: Skirts were midcalf length and slightly full at the hips and thighs, while pants were narrow and tapered. Tops, except for a few new riffs on their signature bustiers and bodysuits, had volume, as did jackets. Coats, primarily, were trim.Now, here's the fun part: Openwork embroidery decorated the bust line of their first exit, a wheat linen dress, and from there, the crewel work, brocade, and passementerie just kept coming. Puff-sleeve gauze tops with ruffled necklines looked like instant hits, as did two jackets, one in silver burlap and the other in charcoal silk, that both buttoned up the back. A chartreuse silk velvet coat was too Sgt. Pepper to be user-friendly, but in smoke with white embroidery, it's a guaranteed collector's item. Dana Lorenz's ropey necklaces worked well with the boys' delicate clothes. As for the duo's stacked-heel sandals, they were clean, modern counterpoints to all that embellishment, which could at times seem bulky. Taken separately, there were plenty of lovely pieces that Proenza Schouler's fans—some of whom looked desperately for the diaphanous finale gowns, which never arrived—will no doubt want to claim as their new favorites.
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