Spring 2019 marked a turning point for Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough. Back in New York after a year’s worth of shows in Paris, the designers swapped the elaborate embroideries and “worked” surfaces they had recently favored for the straightforward appeal of denim and the codes of American sportswear. It was a fairly radical volta-face, not entirely embraced, though the designers say the denim has received a positive response from retailers.
For Pre-Fall, which they presented by appointment in their showroom today, they continued in this new vein, weaving in some of their own familiar codes, as in the bra-cup detailing from their earliest outing as Parsons grads. That was a smart move; the slip dresses that they layered over skinny, ankle-zip flares or full trousers, or showed under an oversize raw felt topcoat, gave this collection a sensuality typically associated with Proenza Schouler that their runway show was missing.
Negotiating the desire for newness and the dependability of familiarity is the task of any successful designer. To be sure, it’s a fine balance. When something works as well as the tie-dyed stretch-velvet long dress they did for Fall 2018—sold out everywhere, they reported—there’s no sense in fighting it. Here, they showed tie-dyed shirts in new colorways with pleated knit skirts. They’re likely to perform just as well. Tie-dye is everywhere, but these look identifiably Proenza Schouler.
Making something as universal as a blazer into a signature is a harder project. Hernandez and McCollough’s efforts here revolved around deconstruction. The lapels of a checked blazer, for example, were semi-detached and could be wrapped artfully around the neck like a scarf. The jacket looked boss paired with an equally deconstructed chunky knit sweater and chambray acid-wash full-leg trousers.
