Area Fall 2018 Ready-To-Wear...Fashionweekly...On Fow24news.com

Who among us would have guessed that in 2018 Area would be among fashion’s most referenced brands? When the label began in 2015, it was so slick, so skinny, and so sci-fi, its clothing seemed patently impossible....
Today, its crystal fringe, oversized hoops, and metallic and Lurex fabrications are everywhere. Not to say everyone is copying Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg; it’s more like their extremist version of luxury has become surprisingly popular… and maybe other designers don’t know their limits.

Anyway, the Area duo honed in on a masculine-feminine thing this season, imagining a woman who was torn between the hard-tailored world of the Italian sartorialists and the avant-garde fashions of the Japanese. The animal prints of the ’30s and ’40s, too, provided ample fodder for the designers. In their seasonal mash-up there were sharp blazers in pastel pink glitter worn without pants and bold shouldered dresses with crystal trimming down the sleeves like a track stripe for those who consider partying a workout. In a smart move, the designers replaced their much-used fox fur with faux fur this season, allowing them to make even more fun, fluffy stuff like shoes, shrugs, and for the first time, bags. They also introduced an expanded knitwear offering, making a knit dress in graphic stripes that bounced and curved around the model’s body.

Even with the iridescent jacket and the itty bitty red shiny dress, this was a commercially minded collection through and through. That’s not a slight; Area has been wisely growing its retail presence and commercial influence. But perhaps, as everyone else mimics their ultra-sassy aesthetic, they could have pushed the envelope a teensy bit further. To go from all metallic leggings to just one pair is a big jump, after all. When everyone’s a glitter baby, Area might need to remind everyone that they are the chief purveyors of Venusian glamour.