The vocabulary Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez have developed for Proenza Schouler over the past 20 years is definitive at this point. To sum it up in one word, well, that word would probably be “cool.” The boys are cool. Their girl is cool. The clothes are cool. The Chelsea gallery show space, the chic restraint of Camilla Nickerson’s styling, the modern jazzy Alice Coltrane soundtrack of the fall 2024 runway show, the palette progression from black—the most black McCollough and Hernandez have ever done—to optic white with a few measured moments of yellow, red and gold, and icy blue/gray. All of it was cool, cool, cool, very cool.
McCollough and Hernandez continued to nurture the minimalistic tailoring seed they planted a couple seasons ago, favoring consistency over any big creative swings. There were great coats galore, including the perfect black peacoat that opened the show, and languid tailoring, sheer blouses and fluid draped dresses that fell in lean, spare lines. Black denim bleached around the seams and sheer shirts worked a more casual side of the poetic austerity punctuated by silver and gold sculptural clutches, red miniature barrel bags and red shoes. The look has evoked comparisons to original Helmut Lang in a most complimentary way.
After the show, McCollough and Hernandez talked about how they rid the lineup of prints and embroideries, deciding to strip it all back at the last minute. “Last night we were like, ‘Let’s take it all away,’” said Hernandez. “Let’s make it about form and silhouette and length. We just wanted to reduce it to its purest form.” Lest things get so reduced to cool, they risked running the vibe cold, McCollough and Hernandez added in the texture of a geometric lace that had been under development for a year and some fabulous shearlings.
