Proenza Schouler Spring 2023
Hello hotties! Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez kicked off fashion week with a jolt of steamy, sexy fun.
Transforming the Beaux Arts lobby at 49 Chambers with dramatic waterfall projections on all four walls, they set a scene so sultry, one could almost feel the humidity.
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The models themselves were glistening, with slicked-back hair and sweat-dappled bare midriffs, strutting out in ruffled dance skirts and twisted, fringed crop tops, crochet knit bikini tops and sheer tube skirts, polka dot cutaway tops and mega-ruffle, mega-fun flare pants that brought back the joy of dressing up.
Those pants, and they were so good, were the collection’s star attraction, and will no doubt be one of the spring 2023 season’s fashion-forward pieces. Tailored, they were the building blocks for a new, smart-looking summer suit, with a long-line sleeveless blazer finished with gold buttons. In stretchy lace in acid-bright colors, atop chunky shoes, they were cool leisurewear with retro appeal.
The ruffled flare became a waterfall like sleeve on sheath dresses and gowns. And for an even more louche luxe, there were metallic gold hand-knit fringe pants with cardigan barely buttoned over glistening torso.
Those pieces were made to move all night, and there’s a nice story behind them, too. The designers found a female craft collective in Bolivia who worked on the knits for six months.
“It was about emotion, passion…” Hernandez said. “Energy, joy, sensuality,” McCollough continued.
“Also identity, gender and culture identity, mining my Latin history, my personal narrative which we’ve never really explored,” said Hernandez. “I’m Cuban, it’s about my family, and Latinos who need some love. There is so much beauty and passion and love in that culture.”
Why now? “My dad is getting older, and I’ve been close with him lately. He’s telling a lot of stories about back in the day,” Hernandez explained. “I think a lot of Latin men feel like they can’t express emotion. And in his old age he’s gotten very emotional and he’s writing poems about his life. It’s beautiful and touching and inspiring.”
Launch Gallery: Proenza Schouler RTW Spring 2023
