new york: proenza schouler

The critical response to Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" was by and far largely laudatory and positive, save for a few that felt its political message was perhaps too obvious and instead rallied for the goth/deco melange of darkness Tim Burton established with his first interpretation of the Caped Crusader. Whether or not those critics are right or wrong (clearly wrong. Were they even seeing the same movie?), it did make me think about how much I loved that movie as a child, especially the leggy blondes in the film, Kim Basigner and Jerry Hall. What with all the superhero worship in film and the political world these days, Proenza Schouler's Spring/Summer collection was able to fit somewhere in that dialogue by confidently sending out a parade of jumpsuits, the new power suit and armor for the strong and sexy woman of next season.

Most forget, but Hall was in "Batman" as Jack Nicholson's hideously scarred girlfriend. Interesting thought for one of the most beautiful faces of the '70s to be disfigured on the big screen. The same thread, although not in terms of destroying beauty, informed the Proenza Schouler show where the beauty had a certain toughness, dangerous quality. Think lots of leather, zippers, pants that gave the allusion of being covered in a sheer trash bag. You do have to be quite the dame to pull off a middriff baring leather top complete with bra inset and high waisted white pants. With the models hair swept to one side and their red lips as jungle red as possible, the severity was only occasionally softened by the billowy harem pants or jumpsuits that ranged from the leather variety to the more parachute effect in floaty fabrics. Black and cream were the base palette with mint and a random purple dress, not an exciting array of colors. It was disappointing to see such an underwhelming use of color when last season their jewel tone intricately folded party dresses with contrasting tights were as exciting as anything in Paris or Milan. Jumpsuits are an acquired taste, but they have been spotted on other runways in New York, so I guess we can't blame them and their sequined version, which I could see on Liza Minelli while sharing a laugh with Halston at Studio 54 as opposed to a more contemporary and less trainwreck of a woman. Have dresses, pants, and tops becoming so boring that women need in all one in fix? The rounded shoulders on jackets and various tops also reminded me of Balenciaga last season and the exposed zipper play looked sexy on a Lanvin runway several seasons ago. I don't doubt the talent of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, but I know they are capable of more. Perhaps the Dark Knight could save the day for fall 2009?