Area A/W 2019 New York Fashion Week Women's
The label's postmodern vision comes to life in a public atrium

Scene setting: Area has become known for selecting unusual venues for its runway shows. From high school rooftops to basement swimming pools, the label's taste for character-filled spaces is as much an expression of its ethos as the collection itself. This season was no different, with the label closing off a public atrium located between office buildings on Wall Street, designed in a postmodern, Greek revival style during the late 1980s. Refined in detailing yet also famed as a base for Occupy Wall Street protesters, the space's mix of polish and protest carried over into Area's latest effort.
Mood board: Designers Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk have typically ignored conventions when creating Area's collections. This season was no different with its eclectic mash up of Upper East Side hallmarks, such as tailoring and houndstooth print, with oversized logos, chintzy rhinestones and exaggerated knitwear. The silhouettes on show were equally wideranging, with balloon-sleeved track jackets, sculpted cocktail dresses, crisp shirting and cocoon-like coats all getting a look in.
Finishing touches: Area has always dabbled in jewellery, especially hoop earrings and chain necklaces made from strings of rhinestones. This season saw the label build upon their handbag offering, which took a sophisticated tack. Ranging from box-like top-handle bags in patent leather to ball shapes caged in metallic pink leather and PVC and metallic satchels, these accessories were footloose and carefree.
Area A/W 2019.
Area A/W 2019.
Area A/W 2019.
Area A/W 2019.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
All-In is the Paris-based label making full-force fashion for main character dressing
Part of our monthly Uprising series, Wallpaper* meets Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø of All-In, the LVMH Prize-nominated label which bases its collections on a riotous cast of characters – real and imagined
By Orla Brennan
-
Maserati joins forces with Giorgetti for a turbo-charged relationship
Announcing their marriage during Milan Design Week, the brands unveiled a collection, a car and a long term commitment
By Hugo Macdonald
-
Through an innovative new training program, Poltrona Frau aims to safeguard Italian craft
The heritage furniture manufacturer is training a new generation of leather artisans
By Cristina Kiran Piotti
-
Met Gala 2025 and ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ exhibition: everything we know so far
Everything Wallpaper* knows about the Met Gala 2025 so far – from the just-revealed dress code to the exhibition theme and A-list co-chairs
By Anna Solomon
-
Sarah Moon brings painterly fashion and dark fantasy to Fotografiska New York
Octogenarian French photographer and filmmaker Sarah Moon shows 30 years of work at Fotografiska New York – spanning fashion and fantasy, mystery and the macabre, it’s dark, painterly and compelling
By Pei-Ru Keh
-
‘In America: A Lexicon of American Fashion' is coming to The Met
The first of a two-part, year-long extravaganza, ‘In America: A Lexicon of American Fashion’ is organised into 12 sections that seek to define the emotional qualities in American style
By Pei-Ru Keh
-
Saint Laurent celebrates 40 years of Memphis Group
Memphis Group's milestone birthday is celebrated with a series of colourful furniture installations across the French maison's concept boutiques
By Laura Hawkins
-
‘A place for the eye to pause’: Ulla Johnson unveils New York HQ
The Manhattan-born fashion designer opens a warmly-hued style sanctuary, created in collaboration with architect Rafael de Cárdenas
By Tilly Macalister-Smith
-
Es Devlin-designed time-travelling exhibition opens at The Met’s Costume Institute
‘Our aim is to communicate the phenomenon of time as it is expressed through the female form,’ says Devlin of the exhibition she has designed alongside curator Andrew Bolton
By Pei-Ru Keh
-
Theory A/W 2020 New York Fashion Week Women’s
By Tilly Macalister-Smith
-
Michael Kors A/W 2020 New York Fashion Week Women’s
By Tilly Macalister-Smith