Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez dressed Best Actress Oscar–winner Brie Larson at the Met Gala last week in a sleeveless number strewn with silver paillettes and featuring geometric cutouts at the side. The number took its cues from their terrific Spring ’16 collection. The Proenza Schouler look, as the designers like to say, is about “constant evolution,” rather than constant pivoting. Their Pre-Fall collection, which they presented in January, but are only promoting in May now that the clothes are about to hit stores, is a connector between the Cuban vibes of Spring and the Frank Stella–inspired lines of Fall.
The long, lean silhouette of the midi-length dresses and the flared pant suits will look familiar, chicly so, as will the silver hardware treatment at the waistline and neck of a sleek white coat. The trimmings—tassels at the hem of a tank top tunic, silk fringe on the cuffs—have more of a Southwestern flavor this time, thanks to a road trip they took through that part of the country. The difference between this collection and the ones that bookended it on the runways is Pre-Fall’s more everyday tone. The lavish embroidery work and complicated draping and construction that PS has become known for came in a lower key here. It wasn’t entirely absent—note the generous beading on the final dresses in the look book. But the collection’s best dress, a sleeveless halter style suspended from a gold metal collar, was utterly stripped down, save for its vibrant shade of marigold.
