From Vogue:
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the dynamic duo behind Proenza Schouler, represent “the next generation of American talent,” according to The New York Times. Although they design for “women, not kids,” McCollough and Hernandez temper their sophistication with youthfulness, whether referencing skateboarding or Cy Twombly. The clothes have all the exquisite hallmarks of high fashion, held to a perfectly imperfect ideal. “We never want it to feel too put-together,” Hernandez told Vogue in 2008. Neo-hippie dip-dyed tank dresses are edged in shark-fin sequins and flirty tulle; an expertly deconstructed silk-tweed jacket lays bare its lining and seams; stretchy knit dresses with a 1930s lean are bisected with au courant cutouts.
Working together with an almost uncanny synergy, the two have been honing and pinpointing their brand from the moment they founded the company. “It’s very important to set an identity,” Hernandez said in 2004, “a signature look.” And on a jam-packed red carpet, the label’s very distinctive aesthetic (sexy bustiers then, exposed shoulders now) does shine through—especially when worn by trendsetters like actresses Chloë Sevigny and Rooney Mara.
While designing, Hernandez and McCollough aim for the polished sophistication of the sort of society lady who would have had her portrait taken by Richard Avedon in the early ’60s—but they enjoy pushing technological boundaries, too, heating steel until it takes on a rainbow sheen, or employing a laser to finely shred silk. This winning mix of traditionalism and futurism is what keeps the cool girls coming back for more.
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All images are courtesy of ImaxTree.
