Photo: Proenza Schouler

The LA Times is reporting that construction has started on Proenza Schouler‘s first store.  It’s in New York, of course, but uptown on Madison Avenue instead of downtown where the brand’s most loyal fans both live and hangout. Lazaro Hernandez told the paper, “For us, it’s weird to go to stores and see a watered-down version of the collection.  With our own store, we’ll have the opportunity to show our whole expression of the brand.” When it opens, later this year, the boutique will offer plenty of exclusive product, as well as Proenza’s new line of denim—”Kind of dorky, super-clean. No whiskers, no bells and whistles, no signatures….Super-anonymous.”—and an ever growing selection of PS1s.  Between this and Celine’s new Madison Avenue outpost, Madison Avenue’s suddenly looking pretty hip.