The Young Guns - PROENZA SHOULER:
It seemed rather timely and apropos, that following on the heels of the Republican National Convention, recently held in New York at Madison Square Garden (in fact, just a few blocks from the Bryant Park Tents), Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the popular duo behind Proenza Shouler, cited the "new Conservatism" as inspiration for their refined, ladylike 4th collection where nothing "screamed" or inappropriately "shouted" and which focused on soft skirts and dresses that appropriately and properly hovered at the knee, a rather neutral and soothing color palette, and nature friendly prints and patterns that were never over the top or outlandish. And which amazingly, never looked dowdy but hip and cool. But of course, this is the team that solidified their cult status and became the darlings of the fashion world with their first collection- built around inventive and creative mixes, impeccable tailoring, and their by now signature bra and corset like tops which are paired as effortlessly with menswear trousers and sporty chino shorts as with demure and narrow pencil skirts. While in this collection many in the audience noted more than a passing resemblance to Miuccia Prada with its mix of artsy and conservative, the emphasis on natural and organic woodblock prints and beadwork, and its reliance on eclectic mixes, somehow the overall effect still had the team's own creative and inventive imprint on it.

As usual, it was reall all about the mix: the mix of high and low, the mix of ethnicities and cultures, the mix of day and evening, the mix of athletic and couture, and the mix of ladylike and sexy- which helped infuse the whole thing with a certain real life nonchalance and wearability. One could easily imagine a chic young woman with a lot of personal style and confidence (and of course, a large wallet), putting herself together from this lineup of standout 3Ú4 length boxy coats, demurely collared short jackets, softly rounded and high waisted above the knee skirts, gold sequined tanks, chino shorts or pants, feather trimmed skirts, and bare satin tops that are molded to the body.