WHEN IT comes to a new season, designers consistently play with ideas of reduction and addition. Will spring-summer 2025 bring extravagance or fine precision? And, have we finally exited out of the buzz of “quiet luxury”?
Well, for the very first show to kick off New York Fashion Week, Proenza Schouler has decided to stray away from their subtle touches and embrace the notion of reconstruction. Or as they put it: ‘How can we preserve a fundamental identity while striving to push into new and unchartered territory?’
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez looked at craft, colour and print, and headed towards bringing these elements to a direction that combined both the city’s urban spirit with the brand’s chic minimalism.
Taking the work of American artist Barnett Newman, famed for his colourful expressionism, the designers interpreted the white lines found in his bold single-colour canvases as stripes often found in traditional maritime imagery. Finding themselves as a main motif in the collection, abstract prints accompanied the stripes alongside delicate floral drawings adding some femininity into the mix.
But it’s in the deconstruction of pieces that the collection comes to life. Movement is a clear aspect of the woman this season, as large panels are cut into creating “sails”; fringing arrives in the masses from skirts to strapless dresses and in either leather or knit; and printed silks are finished with layers of feather.
Restriction with belts is a major detail throughout, creating restriction in the waist to accentuate the figure, or as a detailing on dresses to hug the shoulders, or even around the neck to add height.
For the past twenty years, Proenza Schouler has provided a consistent militant uniform that has been unwavering timeless in its design, seemingly never straying too far from being classic. So, this season its delicate approach to disruption is a welcomed change for SS25 and a reminder it’s never too late to change your stripes.
by Imogen Clark