Translated by
Clementine Martin
Published on
Feb 11 2024
A weekend of rebirth under the leadership of seasoned designers: Proenza Schouler, Anna Sui and Keren Craig of Nidra Devi stayed true to their DNA to offer convincing urban chic.
At Proenza Schouler, women are cool and careerist
Few designer brands display such high and consistent quality as Proenza Schouler, which staged an excellent collection presented Saturday at a Chelsea art gallery to widespread public acclaim.
Proenza Schouler – Collection automne2024 – Proenza Schouler
The collections presented by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the design duo behind Proenza Schouler, previously looked radically different from one season to the next. But in recent years, their style has gradually evolved. The two designers gradually extracted the most dissonant elements to concentrate on their strong point: fitted and sculptural silhouettes in carefully chosen materials. The result: flattering pieces that never fail to surprise.
This fall 2024 collection is certainly the one that highlights black the most since the duo’s debut, creating the contrast with an evocative soundtrack by Michel Gaubert. A variation on the theme of the great Alice Coltrane, widow of John and eminently recognized artist in the world of spiritual jazz.
“We wanted to juxtapose a darker atmosphere with something deep and beautiful. It became obvious,” says Jack McCollough.
The influence of sculpture is omnipresent, with tops and blouses rising high on the neck, dresses in metallic leather or dense mesh that enclose the torsos in draperies.
“It’s a collection that celebrates beauty, with enveloping layers, an emphasis on comfort and spirituality. The fashion calendar is crazy, it’s so fast and the world seems to have fallen on its head right now. We work on instinct. We offer protective, soft, beautiful, luxurious and sensual clothing,” adds Lazaro Hernandez.
The duo even radically re-edited the collection at the last minute, removing a whole series of looks with intense embroidery and prints.
“We panicked a little last night, but in the end we decided to take it all off and focus on shape and figure,” laughs Lazaro Hernandez.
The result was powerful and eminently New York, with creations ready to dress the city’s most elegant working girls.
At Anna Sui, a literary renaissance
Anna Sui takes inspiration from a style borrowed from Agatha Christie’s novels, with clothes featured in the rare books department of The Strand, New York’s most famous bookstore.
Anna Sui – Fall 2024 collection – Anna Sui
Miss Marple would feel right in her element. Londonderry tweed jackets meet Cotswold plaid skirts and diamond-patterned designs. The shades remain soft, as Anna Sui likes them, inspired by the ceramist Clarice Cliff: the palette includes cinnamon brown, mustard yellow, curry and pink.
Resourceful femme fatales don midi dresses printed with graphics derived from Virginia Woolf book covers. Before a ramp-up towards the end of the show, with irresistibly cool metallic brocade evening dresses.
37 looks in total and no false notes to note. Anna Sui’s post-pandemic renaissance continues.
Nidra Devi and the rebirth of Keren Craig
F. Scott Fitzgerald used to say that there are no second chances in American public life. Which clearly shows that he didn’t know Keren Craig.
Nidra Devi – Collection automne/hiver2024/25 – Nidra Devi
Like many Britons who became New Yorkers by choice, Keren Craig settled in the “upstate New York” area after the pandemic. But this season, she returns to Manhattan in force with a collection centered on trompe l’oeil, presented in style at a neighborhood superclub.
Her new brand is called Nidra Devi, after the Indian goddess of sleep. The designer apparently struggles with insomnia. India is also the country where Keren Craig produces most of her evening dresses, often decorated with removable pearls like snap buttons.
Keren Craig has mastered the art of draping to perfection, as shown in her tulip dresses or her sexy sequinned looks in wine or Klimt gold. Her organza evening dresses, embroidered in Bombay, are enhanced with pearls and made a strong impression, as did the silk tops elegantly matched with organza skirts or pants.
“I like to offer casual pieces that are easy to match, to wear with jeans or to style in different ways,” explains Keren Craig.
Ten years ago, Keren Craig was part of the Marchesa duo with her sidekick Georgina Chapman, who suffered the full brunt of the scandal surrounding the latter’s husband, Harvey Weinstein.
It was a pleasure to see Keren return with an original new collection, reflecting her sense of playful chic and her talent for expressing the best of Italian craftsmanship. The looks were compiled in a lookbook by Zanna Roberts Rassi, another Briton based in New York.
Keren Craig celebrated her return with a dinner and party at Neuehouse on Park Avenue South. Guests were able to enjoy scallops while sipping dirty martinis, ideal for this type of outfit.
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2024-02-11 19:21:41
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