Meet The First Public School Girls On The Playground

The anticipation at Milk Studios yesterday as we waited for the first Public School women's look to hit the runway was palpable. After all, designers Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne had promised that they'd only debut the ladies' line if, and only if, it was perfect. Talk about building hype. But, as the seventh model (and first female one) walked onto the runway in a sleek, black jumpsuit — sneaker-clad, with wavy locks — it didn't seem like a sudden shift in the program at all. In fact, it was a seamless debut, and one that was completely in line with the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winners' aesthetic. The Public School woman was here.

In a collection heavy on the menswear — mostly for guys, sometimes for the girls — Chow and Osborne continued to do what they do best: a cool, elevated take on sportswear. For women, this translated to collar (and collarless) button-down shirts, sweaterdresses that had structure, suits that were tailored but never tight, and sleek outerwear, all, of course, in the designers' signature heavy-on-the-black palette.

Oddly enough, we already feel like we get who the Public School girl is. Her clothes fit impeccably but are never skintight. She favors comfort but masters cool. And, yes, boys, she'll rock a mushroom-cap beanie as well as you do with any outfit she owns. She's the Public School playground's new kid, but she seems to already know the ropes. And, we look forward to having her around for a long time.