Ten years in and Area’s Piotrek Panszczyk has his collection development down to an exact formula: a group of terrific novelty jeans, a groovy print, and crystal-embellished party-ready separates that are sexy but never basic, thanks to their interesting fabrication. And yet the results are always unexpected, due to a belief in creative experimentation that always pushes an idea beyond its usual limits.
Pre-fall found Panszczyk and his team thinking about romance and femininity. “On one side we had hearts and were looking at things like broderie anglaise and fabrics that feel super feminine, light, and summery. And on the other, we had a lot of leather biker references and were trying to merge these two worlds together,” he explained. “So we made a heart motif and laser cut it on bonded leather.” It was especially successful when applied to a classic motorcycle jacket, which he paired with a swingy A-line ruffled skirt and laser cut leather leggings (his take on fishnet tights). Together the pieces paid low-key homage to Azzedine Alaïa, and perhaps that’s why they seemed destined to end up on one of the many pop girlies who will be releasing records and going on tour this summer. But it’s easy to see the pieces by themselves, especially the jacket, having a long life in the closet of us regular folk.
Denim came in a light stonewash and pure blue hue, and the It style of the season was a pair of wide-leg jeans in both washes with an intarsia heart motif running down the front of the legs that recalled those braided jeans of the 1980s—but blown up. There was indeed an undercurrent of the decade in the collection overall, especially in the technicolor heart-and-flowers print inspired by the American print designer Ken Scott that appeared on skintight disco pants, bike shorts, and an oversized moto jacket with a denim trim. Elsewhere, the floral print was turned into 3D flower pins—like the ones Carrie Bradshaw popularized in the aughts—decorated with hand-cut feathered hearts
A micro-dress embellished with allover teardrop-shaped crystals (“When you put them together, they make a heart”) was striking in its intricate simplicity, and a teeny bandeau top version with the same embellishment, paired with baggy jeans that had two (also embellished) slits at the upper thighs, transmitted a feeling of carefree youth.
