Area designers Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk often serve as their own fit models, and this season, they “market researched [their] own closets,” as Fogg put it. The intensely personal, process-driven quality of their clothing is one of the things that has made Area notable from the word go. But for their debut Pre-Fall collection, they set about opening up their world a bit more, distilling that vernacular into its most wearable essence. If Spring’s luminous, “makeup”-smeared satin gowns are just the thing for after-hours, then this season’s offering finds Fogg and Panszczyk embracing the everyday. It’s a savvy move, given that retail interest in the line has ramped up (Lane Crawford just confirmed its order for Pre-Fall).
As Fogg noted, the pair started in their own wardrobes, looking at their most-worn and loved garments and the codes that turned up time and time again. The shape of Panszczyk’s old German parka, for example, came to life in a midnight blue tech satin, trimmed in fur and embossed with the Braille-like pattern that is Area’s signature. And just when you thought denim had been embellished every which way under the sun, here was the coolest pair we’ve seen in a while: light-washed, punched all over in that same pattern, and teamed with a matching cropped peacoat. The jeans will be available both coated (for those who would like to keep them relatively unscathed) and uncoated; as with Japanese boro textiles, the latter embraces the imperfections of washings and daily wear.
However busy Area is distilling its ethos, there was newness to be had as well. Case in point: a terrific hydrophobic wool blend that showed up in a ruffle-sleeved button-down and basketball shorts and that will repel any liquid you throw at it—from red wine to green juice. Elsewhere, new patterns came to the fore, like classic croc (particularly gorgeous on a peachy silk slip dress), and an old-school embossing plate used in the ’50s to create the flourishes on Western saddles. There was sparkle here, too. When it’s time to amp up the wattage, customers can pop on a styling piece such as lamé chaps or a crystal garter—infinitely more wearable propositions than they might sound on paper, and just another reason Area is one of New York’s most exciting young brands today.
