The Proenza Schouler Pre-Fall 2020 collection features a series of fluid, matte jersey evening looks. The designers have been moving away from their sketchbooks toward a more hands-on approach to making clothes. The draping, knotting, and tying techniques they’ve been experimenting with lent an ’80s-inflected attitude to day dresses in autumnal colors that were cinched with asymmetric leather belts and furnished with chic gold buttons. One painterly print dress with gently sculpted shoulders in particular was an alluring reinterpretation of a recognizable Proenza signature; ditto for the artisanal tie-dyed velvet maxiskirts and frocks.

That languid mood continued through to the outerwear with transitional coats that had the ease of robes. Cut with soft and voluminous proportions, the double-faced cashmere and suede pieces were a fitting reflection of their new grown-up agenda, luxurious and practical in equal measure. McCollough and Hernandez have been honing their take on tailoring, reconfiguring the traditional suit with cool idiosyncrasies. The slouchy wool blazer they showed with black peg-leg leather pants, for example, was nipped at the waist and tucked at the shoulder seam in just the right way. And as far as evening goes, their iteration of a tuxedo will be hard to beat; the crystal-embellished black tunic-over-pants combination seems destined for red-carpet success.

The designers are embracing mini lengths for the first time in years, and a neat A-line cocktail-hour silhouette looked especially fresh paired with their new lace-up flats.