Though Area’s gender-nonspecific extravaganzas may
be a truly postmodern fantasy, Piotrek Panszczyk,
Fogg’s codesigner of the New York–based line, says the
creations have deep roots. “We love classic things, but
we want to recontextualize them,” he explains. “Glamour
can be rhinestones, but it can also be an Hermès
double-face cashmere coat. We look at old references—
’60s Balenciaga, Lanvin couture—and try to strip things
down, make it in a new way.”
A visit to the Area atelier on Manhattan’s Canal Street,
where the spring 2020 collection is on resplendent
display, offers compelling evidence of just how far you
can twist and stretch the notion of classic. Here are
examples of the kind of high-gloss elegance that hasn’t
been seen lately—an unabashed tribute to the notion that
you can be a literal shining star. The eye lingers on
crystal streamers welded into 3-D panels; an extraordinary
black gown, made of what could be gigantic spaghetti
tubes, pretty much defies description. (Okay, here’s a
try—is it the gorgeous offspring of an octopus and a
Venus flytrap?) But there are also catsuits in blown-out
herringbone checks and peach satin frocks with
balloon sleeves that happily acknowledge their couture
heritage. If you are still tempted to dismiss the collection
as fundamentally rock-and-roll—and yes, Rihanna,
Beyoncé, and Ariana Grande are all fans—no less a
grown-up than Michelle Obama has sported Area’s strict
black suit (albeit dripping in crystal fringe) on her
book tour. “We added long sleeves for her,” Fogg confides.
And suddenly you think, Maybe this is what
commercial means now? Could the secret to seducing
the customer lie in the breaking down of boundaries,
of throwing out assumptions and offering something
that is meant to impress with craftsmanship—to
sparkle and spark joy? There’s a spirit of liberation
infusing these clothes: Despite their sheer—in both
senses of the word—audacity, nothing is intended to
elicit a stereotypical male gaze. Women will don these
body-positive celebrations strictly for themselves. (Men
can, of course, wear a stringy-fringy gown if they’re
feeling it—lines are meant to be crossed!) Case in point:
A keynote accessory this season is a metal mesh “beard”
that clips on—a sexy sleeper hit that provokes and delights.
Fogg, 31, and Panszczyk, 33, met in a graduate
program at Parsons, drawn to each
other by a shared desire to
manipulate and transform fabric.
Fogg recalls that at the time,
“I was taking leather to a place in
New Jersey and embossing it,
making it 3-D.” Fogg hails from
Kentucky and has a degree in
architecture; Panszczyk—born in
Poland, raised in Holland, and
having worked for Chloé in
Paris—came here on a scholarship
eight years ago. (They both now
live in Brooklyn, Panszczyk with
his husband in Clinton Hill, Fogg
in Brooklyn Heights, where
she and her husband will welcome
their first child this month.)
“I walked up to her and said, ‘This
is cool—tell me what you’re
doing,’ ” Panszczyk remembers.
“We became friends, and we
started talking about doing
something together, and I said,
‘You’re crazy.’ ”
But sometimes the craziest ideas
are the best ideas. In 2013 the pair
sold a gazillion gleaming T-shirts at
Opening Ceremony; in 2015 they made their first formal
presentation, and the marriage of exquisite metallurgy
with the nerviness of the silhouettes has turned out to be
a big hit; in 2016 they were CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
finalists. And no one was more shocked than the designers
themselves when they learned that they ranked third at
Coachella—right after Revolve and Fashion Nova—in
earned media value, a financial calculation that measures
social-media engagement.
“Neither of us are exactly from fashion capitals,” Fogg
says, laughing. “I mean, I’m from Lexington, Kentucky,
and he’s from Poland!” Could this be why they have
such a deep understanding of the transformative power
of clothes, the desire to become another person—more
confident! bolder! louder!—just by slipping into
something fabulous? As Fogg puts it, “It’s definitely
occasion dressing—but the occasion could be you
in your room posting on social media.”—ly n n yaeger
SHINY OBJECTS
ABOVE: BECKETT FOGG, GIGI AND ANWAR
HADID (BOTH IN AREA), AND PIOTREK
PANSZCZYK, PHOTOGRAPHED BY GREGORY
HARRIS, VOGUE, 2016. RIGHT: MICHELLE
OBAMA IN AREA DURING HER 2019 BOOK TOUR.
VLIFE
106 DECEMBER 2019 VOGUE.COM
AREA: GREGORY HARRIS,
VOGUE
, 2016. OBAMA: © ANGEL MARCHINI/ZUMA WIRE.
