Gemma Ward, Sasha P, and all your iconic faves walked Proenza Schouler

NYFW is hell bent on blasting your wig into orbit. We’re only halfway through the city’s SS19 womenswear shows and already have seen appearances from Lil’ Kim and Xtina. Just when you thought you had recovered, Proenza Schouler went and snatched your edges again. 

After taking a brief Parisian interlude for two seasons, the label – designed by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez – pulled out all the stops for its NYC homecoming. Like its peers at VFiles and Opening Ceremony, the design duo also enlisted some iconic names to model its collection.

A mix of 90s and 00s legends, the cast included Sasha Pivovarova, Karen Elson, Amber Valletta, and Gemma Ward. After taking a break from the runway back in 2004, Ward has only appearance on the runway twice since – at Prada’s SS15 show and for Raf Simons’ sophomore AW18 Calvin Klein collection. Not just a Legends Ball though, today’s faves like Kaia Gerber, Kiki Willems, and former Dazed cover stars Fran Summers and Kris Grikaite also walked. 

The collection itself was an ode to American sensibilities, most notably seen through the use of stonewash denim. McCollogh and Hernandez also took inspiration from Berlin-based artist Isa Genzken, with her photographs of the city stitched on to tie-dye shirts worn by Ward and Gerber. Genzken also created an installation in the venue, using Proenza garments. 

Elsewhere in the show, the message was clear: tiny handbags are over. Instead, it’s all about Big Sack Energy. That’s right, models waltzed around the show space with giant bags slung over their shoulders. Big enough to fit Jacquemus’s entire collection of miniature handbags, and more. So, big then. 

With only a few more days before NYFW moves into LFW, your guess is as good as ours when it comes to who will sashay down the runway next.