Anyone who looked at Proenza Schouler‘s Fall 2021 collection this morning might have done a double take: Was that Ella Emhoff walking the grounds of Water Mill’s Parrish Art Museum in a grey melange coat, Tuscan shearling slippers, and her signature round wire glasses? Yes, indeed, it was—and she went on to appear twice more: Next, in a padded midnight lambskin trench with an abstracted toile dress peaking out from underneath, and then again, in the last look of the season, in a high-lapeled, single-breasted suit, which left a flash of skin exposed.
According to a press release, the collection was designed to be “a complete wardrobe created to comfort, inspire, and empower the modern-day woman,” and who better than Emhoff, the stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris and Parsons School of Design student—not to mention a budding designer in her own right—to exemplify that? Though the newly signed IMG model will likely go on to walk many more runways, it was fitting that she made her Fashion Week debut with Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, in many ways American fashion’s darlings. After all, since last month, she’s become something of a celebrity (at least for the style set) after she wore a Batsheva dress and a Miu Miu coat, followed by a Thom Browne get-up; nevertheless, she didn’t overshadow the season’s innovative tailoring or soft, luxurious knitwear. Instead, one could easily imagine her donning the strapless jumpsuit or tie-dye dress (which, lucky for us admirers, is currently available for pre-order) with exaggerated fringed sleeves in her own day-to-day, whether at home in Bushwick or while making an appearance in D.C. It’s fashion for a new age—and it has our vote.
