Rarely have the dual impulses of Proenza Schouler been as evident as in the duo’s pre-fall ’13 collection. On the one hand, jaunty skirts and loose-fitting pants suggested a new ease and freedom, particularly in bright, metallic shades taken from a new series of aquatic photos. But on the other hand, those same pieces were inevitably paired with a biker jacket, or tied tautly with a belt, or printed with a boxy or graphic pattern, or, most interestingly, matched with a black and white turtleneck resembling a nun’s habit. As with movies, it isn’t worth showing if there isn’t tension.
