Throwback Thursday: Proenza Schouler

How has it taken me this long to do a Proenza-themed Throwback Thursday? I have no idea. But after their much praised Fall ’15 collection that just showed last night, it seems like the perfect time to see where all that amazingness began…

I won’t give you a full-on history lesson here but in case you didn’t know, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez started Proenza Schouler in 2002 (combining the maiden names of their mothers…man would I kill to be a Proenza or a Schouler). They met at Parsons and long story short, Barneys ended up buying their entire senior thesis collection. That’s not something that happens everyday so clearly, these two were going somewhere. Although if they kept in the direction they first started going in, I may not have become the Proenza super fan I am today. Let’s take a look…

Fall 2003: A big theme Proenza started with, and kept with for quite a few seasons, was that futuristic-lingerie-sweetheart-neckline-type bodice. And as you can tell, cameras were not what they are now. #BLURRYGRAM

Spring 2004: This one is particularly interesting because it really foreshadows what you’ll see (but much better and updated way) for Spring 2011.

Fall 2004: Could not be less of a fan of those purple tights, but the silhouette of that jacket in the middle is one we still see to this day!

Spring 2005: The palm tree prints in this collection are ones that ended up being a theme in their Target collaboration that launched just a few years later.

Spring 2006: Not their best season…

Fall 2006: Alright, now I think we’re getting somewhere…

Spring 2007: HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THEM?

Fall 2007: Time for a hat moment.

Spring 2008: The hat moment continues…

Spring 2009: This is the season where I’m like okay guys, you’re fucking cool now. Plus, they were doing leather overalls and crop tops before those trends overloaded our Instagram feeds in the last couple of years. Talk about trendsetters…

Spring 2010: BOW DOWN. But really this is the collection that made me fall in love with Proenza in the first place (after all, the girl on the left is STILL the background of my phone…I haven’t even changed it to my dogs who I’m so damn obsessed with and yes, Laz is named after Lazaro).

Fall 2010: It’s really only up hill from here. Although Spring ’10 was my favorite collection of all time (like of any designer, any season), Fall ’10 is still one of my favorite fall collections any designer has ever done. And not just because I’ve worn that dress on the left at least a dozen times (okay maybe that has something to do with it…)

Spring 2011: This was the first time I’d ever seen a “ladylike” collection done in a super cool way. It made me actually want to wear dresses and skirts. I know, I couldn’t believe it either.

Fall 2011: Remember that crazy video Harmony Korine did for Proenza? It made me think about this collection in a whole new sort of creepy and trippy way…but I dug it. This was also around the time when Jack and Lazaro really started going for it when it came to fabric, texture and technique…which meant princes went WAY up (and they didn’t stop at Fall ’11).

Fall 2012: The outerwear in this collection gets a punching fist, two thumbs up and an a-okay emoji. It was just so good. It was also one of those collections where I had to do a little stalking to get my hands on those boots…but as per usual in these situations, I was successful 🙂

Spring 2013: The moment I saw this collection, I knew it was my favorite since Spring ’10…and that’s kind of a big deal. The laser cut leather, the insane boots, the crowd prints…it really blew my mind. Still blowing my mind, actually.

Spring 2014: These skirts showed up everywhere after this show — editorials, street style, etc. And I guess now we know who to blame for the crop top + culottes trend…

Fall 2014: This was one of those “so Proenza” Proenza collections…and whenever I feel that way, it’s a good great thing.

Fall 2015: So I guess we’re no longer throwing it back (unless you consider last night #tbt worthy) but here’s a few looks from their brand new FW15 collection. I’ve read up on it and it seems to be one of the biggest hits (if not the biggest hit) at NYFW this season. It’s definitely one of the riskiest collections they’ve ever done, but it’s a risk that paid off. Both literally and figuratively…these clothes look like they’re going to be some of the most expensive yet!

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What do you think of the Proenza Schouler collections over the years? As you can tell I didn’t include every single collection they’ve ever done, but I figured if I featured the best / most notable / groundbreaking ones, you’d get the general picture. Any favorites? What are your thoughts on their new Fall ’15 collection?

Images via Style.com & Vogue