Proenza Schouler A/W 2016

Two models in black and white dresses, one in a nude-coloured dress and one in a sand-coloured shiny jacket with off-white trousers

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

last updated 19 July 2022

Mood board: As an exploration of the notions of control and release, Proenza Schouler's latest collection looked to American art from the 1960s and 1970s for inspiration. Soft, knitted pieces expressed ideas of reconstruction by means of oversized laces, different iterations of tying and wrapping to give shape and form.

Scene setting: Using work by artists such as Richard Serra, Frank Stella, Robert Ryman and Robert Smithson as touchstones, it was only apt that the label commandeered the 5th floor gallery space of the Renzo Piano-designed Whitney Museum. Square, silver foil poufs, used as seating, were scattered in coil-like formations in the expansive space, much like a work of art themselves.

Best in show: Designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough’s ability to create new forms out of familiar fabrics made for a truly memorable collection. Whether it was exploiting negative space in the form of subtle cut-outs in knitted garments, which revealed hints of an arm, a shoulder or the waist, and then were laced back together with thick black canvas, or the final series of embroidered dresses that seems to be constructed from curling strips of ribbon, many of the looks took our breath away. What's more, a limited selection of the new pieces will be available exclusively at the label's downtown store from 18-21 of February.

Three female models, one in a cream dress with black details, one in a black and white blouse with a cream jacket, and one in a pale blue coat

Two female models, one wearing a tan-coloured dress with bag, and the other wearing a white coat over a black outfit

One female model wearing a black top with white design, and black trousers, and another model wearing a black and white top with a patterned garment on top

Female model wearing an orange sweater with black shoulder straps displayed, and two women in black and white patterned outfits

Four models, one wearing a black and white top, two with cream tops with black detailing, and one wearing a pale blue coat

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Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.

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