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Proenza Schouler: Technical Chic

Proenza Schouler – over the past half decade America's best young designers – undertook a radical shift in direction Monday evening and, like any new birth, the delivery was the occasion of some considerable joy and great excitement, but, like any delivery, also the scene of an odd bloody mess.

It's a sign of the maturity of Proenza Schouler – a duo composed of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez – that they had the gall to risk such a radical shake up in their oeuvre, and race off into a new silhouette, selection of fabrics and aesthetic in this spring summer 2009 collection, staged before everyone who mattered in international fashion in the cathedral like setting of the Uptown Armory on Park Avenue.

Where before Proenza Schouler were known for their signature close to the body, bustier-based shapes using natural fabrics and a look that cunningly mixed haute gamme class with downtown edge; this season they sent out a curvy, futurist collection of considerable élan, a radically new aesthetic that when it worked was phenomenally cool.

One could only applaud the audacious white openers, slim volume pants tapered at the ankle worn with huge shouldered jackets, some so large their looked like targets. Saucy leather pants topped with technically finished white shirts also underlined the mood, a very posh futurist court on some distant galaxy. And, their finale of Swarovski crystal harem pants linked to mini bras had great panache, earning bursts of applause along the giant X-shaped catwalk.

Plus, their footwear was a fantastic mix of saucy feminine tops and industrial heels and arches that recalled New York bridges, was again a series of sure fired commercial hits, and their flared gloves with aviator fins were a great styling trick.

Above all, Jack and Lazaro broke new ground with techy finish fabrics, adding a tough chic element that their collections had previously lacked.

However, the clothes did seem a tad too close in silhouette to creators like Mugler and Montana who dominated Paris in the early Eighties.

That said, this memorable show had to be treated in exactly the same way one views a major European collection like Prada or YSL, i.e. as a statement of artistic intent and not merely the latest set of clobber from two young designers. That might sound pretentious, but it's true, for Proenza Schouler are such good designers they manage to reach a higher level than most of their contemporaries.

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