Lazaro and Jack been credited with giving their brand its “finest fashion moment” through the presentation of their Spring 2011 collection. I found the collection particularly poignant because it demands examination beyond the traditional barometers of fashion success—it demands a semiotic analysis.
The live show lasted mere minutes, yet somehow Jack and Lazaro successfully signified the conventional symbols of womanhood that have spanned decades. It seems to me that the collection itself can be viewed diachronically, as a subversion of the codes of femininity, through a charmingly rebellious evolution of the “lady.” Traditionally, the first look steers the collection; it informs the audience. This show deviates from that pattern and displays an endless chain of signification that works to expand on their exceptionally fine-tuned point of view. Due to the limited space I have I will stick to the synchronic frames of a few key looks in the show. Yet, to best convey this evolution we should examine the dimensions of the relationship between the pieces synchronically and then place them in a temporal frame of reference.
I see the each of the outfits as a syntagm – or simple Gestalt-esque arrangement of symbols—collaborating to build a sort of optical illusion. At first glance, the opening look is demure and connotes “lady.” This look represents all the traditional codes through textiles of lace and silk and a silhouette that grazes the knee. Upon closer inspection, the textiles signifying “lady” actually deconstruct it through a clever subversion, which profoundly alters its original conceptual connotation.
Jack and Lazaro develop ways to channel conventional thought about femininity and then redirect it by physically altering the form of the signs themselves. This involves electronically mapping out a pattern, printing it on tulle and using acid to melt its underside— thus, lace-like remnants become lace’s proxy. The alternative-lace skirt implies that a modern lady is an afterimage of her predecessor. The finished openwork print of the skirt denotes twisting lines that mimic ancient Irish lace patterns. The abrasive melting that spawned the textile’s creation help it retain a fundamental sense of toughness. Layers of semiotic intention are suggested through the laborious and artisanal process required to craft the piece.
The opening look also incorporates a classic – dare I say iconic – Chanel-inspired blazer. I identify it as a blazer only through examining its construction: tailored and a bit boxy. Its creamy shade connote a strong and independent woman, while its form’s inherent modesty foil the over-sexualized 1950s pinup woman. The piece distinguishes its wearer as a refined lady; however, the sequined sleeveless top peeking from behind the blazer is a rebellion against this refinement. This creates a rich tension that forces my eyes to rebuild a more modern emblem of a woman.
Is this emblem representative of a modern lady or in actuality an evolution of the symbol of girl? Rebellion –a behavior associated with adolescence – inspires these looks, according to the designers. Post-show Jack announces, “The suit is the new rebellion.” The suit, to the Proenza designers, signifies a concept of an inner-awareness: the subtext being that society expects young girls to present themselves while only aware of the outside trends, which for girls today means citing 1990s ambivalence as their inspiration and donning a flannel shirt. Jack and Lazaro prudently removed those grunge influences – surfer and bohemian girls— that informed their previous collections. Thus, the “Proenza girl” (the target market consumer the duo speak of often) evolves.
The channels used to analyze the semiotic intention of the show are similar to the channels that guided Seiter’s criticism of more traditional mediums. I appraise the colors of soft lavender and salmon, curdling to sulfuric shades toward the show’s end and a larger societal commentary unfolds. The deepening and bighting hues express the duality between the lady and the girl.
The lady, with her maturity and grace would cease to exist without the germinal existence of the girl, with her naiveté and stubbornness. We once saw the two symbols as anchors along the dichotomy between being pure and being sexual. Modern perspective notes the latitude separating these once extreme states has blurred. A crippling ambiguity is the result. Proenza presents the lady and the girl as dialectic counterparts through its pairings of matronly silhouettes with inventive textiles.
Semiotic analysis of the Proenza show and other fashion shows will illuminate these dualities by exploring the links between articles of clothing and their significations’ permeation of popular culture. It is to take note when meaning is created through a five-minute display of moving motifs. It is to take note that the fashion of tomorrow links naturally to semiotics.
