Suit up with Proenza Schouler
This season, Proenza Schouler has produced a collection that successfully captures chic city style, bringing it together with myriad erudite inspirations to create pieces that are both effortless and elegant. So let the New York-based brand take your tailoring to another level with precision-cut separates, head-turning dresses and covetable accessories to complete the look
Few brands can conjure the same sense of place as Proenza Schouler. The New York-based label is steeped in the city. Of course, this is in part because Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the design duo behind Proenza Schouler – one of the fashion industry’s most consistently exciting houses – met at the city’s iconic design school, Parson’s. However, the connection runs deeper than that. New York is hard-wired into the brand’s DNA. From day one, the designers have always asserted that it is crucial to create a signature style, a brand identity, and, it would appear, that the key to maintaining theirs is to always design with their woman in mind. But who is she? The easy answer is, she’s a New Yorker. As comfortable sipping cocktails in Midtown as she is hanging out in a Downtown dive bar, the Proenza women moves comfortably between the many facets of city life.
Since bursting onto the scene back in 2002, Proenza Schouler has amassed an army of devoted fans thanks to the label’s uncanny ability to bottle the spirit of the city. Its distinctive esthetic is at once refined yet relaxed, ladylike yet laidback, and is somehow informed by the past while squarely facing the future. It’s this heady combination that keeps the fashion world enthralled. The label’s list of brand fans, including Chloë Sevigny, Rooney Mara, Sienna Miller, Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern and Greta Gerwig, reads like a veritable who’s who of Hollywood cool girls. All of whom will be itching to get their hands on the brand’s cruise 20 collection, a celebration of greatest hits, from androgynous suiting to butter-soft leathers and playful silhouettes.
“It’s Proenza Schouler’s unwavering sense of identity and belonging that has seen the label go from strength to strength, ensuring its designs continue to stand the test of time
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As for tailoring, when a classic beige pant suit is reimagined by Proenza Schouler with architectural drapery and a tapered cut, the look suddenly exudes a whole new attitude. Finish with a crisp shirt or turtleneck for a boardroom-ready look that will stand out among a sea of lesser suits. Alternatively, paired with a sultry halter top, the suit makes for a daring evening ensemble that is sexy – but in a distinctly self-assured and grown-up way. Continuing this focus on form and exquisite construction, there were draped pieces, such as a leather dress cast in a captivating shade of ocher, that promise to breathe new life into your on- and off-duty look. An elevated piece that could work for any day of the week, the fluid shape is off-set by a cinched-waist that creates definition. Whether you’re dressing for the office or a night on the town, this season’s must-have square-toed sandals, a prim top handle bag and graphic jewels are the perfect accompaniment to this subtly show-stopping dress.
For those looking to inject their existing closet with some New York cool, Proenza’s sumptuous accessories are the perfect place to start. Whether you’re drawn to the modern-art inspired jewelry or graphic handbags, let them put a contemporary spin on everything from blue jeans and tees to luxe trackpants and sports-inspired knits.
It’s Proenza Schouler’s unwavering sense of identity and belonging that has seen the label go from strength to strength, ensuring its designs continue to stand the test of time. And as the New York fashion house hurtles towards its 20th anniversary, with a winning formula that combines cutting-edge design and an air of insouciance, the cool girls just keep coming back for more.