For nearly 15 years, Proenza Schouler was a highlight on the New York Fashion Week calendar. But earlier this week, it traded downtown Manhattan for Paris Couture Week in an effort to combine its ready-to-wear and pre-collections and boost its international presence. Its Spring ’18 Paris debut was a mix of signatures—graphic prints, architectural silhouettes, and a general sense of cool—with couture-level savoir faire. That sort of change doesn’t happen overnight, so we asked designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez to tell us about developing their first couture-ish collection.
“It was an incredible experience getting to know all these small independent ateliers in Paris that specialize in techniques not normally found elsewhere,” they wrote via email. “Weaving on 18th-century looms, feather work, and embroideries are all things we’ve explored in the past, but never in such depth. Spending time out here while working on the fragrance launch for next year really gave us the opportunity to meet these people and develop a relationship with them.”
Look 40, pictured here, features a few classically “couture” techniques: The silk organza top is completely embroidered with 320,000 sequins, and the fringed skirt is made from cut ostrich feathers. McCollough and Hernandez report that it took roughly 400 hours for 12 people to complete the embroidery, plus three days to assemble the flowers. Other looks came in French lace or ruched tulle that was so fluffy it resembled tufts of fur.
With another Paris show on the horizon—they’re committed to January 2018—McCollough and Hernandez are already well into Fall ’18 development. “Who knows what the future will bring? All we know is that right now, we feel committed to craft and the pursuit of a kind of beauty not tainted by cynicism or sarcasm—something that feels pure and true,” they said. “That could maybe be the influence of Paris, or just where we are in our personal lives.”