Rachel Scott’s Version of the Proenza Schouler Woman

New York — Rachel Scott is still getting to know the Proenza Schouler woman.

To officially kick off the Autumn/Winter 2026 edition of New York Fashion Week, the designer, who built the cult label Diotima, showed her first full collection for the American brand on Wednesday, a follow-up from a presentation in September that included her creative input. Since taking over for founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez last year after they departed to lead LVMH’s Loewe, Scott has been pouring through the brand’s archive and sitting down with Proenza Schouler shoppers.

Scott’s challenge is to take the brand’s modern tailoring and sculptural dresses fit for urban, sophisticated and well-salaried women and put her own spin on the look. To do so, she said, she looked more closely at this quintessentially New York woman.

“She can be a bit more erotic, she can be angry, sometimes she’s not quite so perfect,” Scott said backstage after the show.

Complexity and texture, Scott signatures, were front of mind. Marrying those themes to the Proenza sensibility meant silhouettes that were twisted, relaxed and undone.

Turtlenecks and blazers buttoned all the way up topped trousers with buttons down the flares. Muted creams, grays, taupe and black were amped up with blasts of red and blue — and a print made from warped photographs of night orchids. Kitten heels with extra-sharp toes met pumps with squared-off fronts, leather boots fit for stomping around the city pounded after flouncy, fringed sandals. Some dresses had waists just below the bra line, creating the illusion of legs that just kept going.

“She’s definitely punctual, but today she’s late,” said Scott.

That was underscored in the styling choices: dresses were slightly rumpled, the draping and tucks were meant to be a little off, Scott pointed out in her show notes.

Accessories, a key part of the Proenza engine since the launch of its once ubiquitous PS1 handbag back in 2008, were a focus. Those came straight from the archive: The Hex bag, a large, rounded tote, launched in 2016, made a comeback. Models also carried bowling bags in mini and maxi sizes, and an evening clutch that combined calf hair, cashmere suede, French calf and kidskin.

It’s a crucial moment for Proenza Schouler. The label, once New York’s most promising upstart, is in the midst of a yearslong turnaround effort. Scott’s arrival has brought new momentum — she won the CFDA Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2024, and her label Diotima, which will show on Sunday, has plenty of fans, particularly in its home city. Her next test will be translating that to a larger label with an established look — and clientele.