New York Women’s Fashion Week F/W 2019

Part 1: Sies Marjan and Area

Sies Marjan F/W 2019

You know a beautiful collection when you see one. It’s always about three things: interesting silhouette, arresting color palette and dazzling fabrics. Sander Lak at Sies Marjan really excels at the color palette. That’s what the industry has been saying about him. Yes, but what made this so good today was the fact that he actually gets better and better at doing it. His mauves and pinks often in neon and coin grays were simply dazzling.

In one word?

Greeting guests backstage, a seemingly overjoyed and relieved Lak talked about the best inspiration any collection can ever have: Love. The harmony in his colors and shapes, the joy of his embellishments in crystals made the big L word visible to the audience.

Sander Lak, creative director of Sies Marjan, taking his bow at the end of the successful show

Sies Marjan’s multi-colored and shaped F/W 2019 collection

Adding new layers?

There was a drop dead, dark blue leather suit which showed Lak’s knack for clean tailoring as well as the pinstriped suits with shiny shirt underpinnings. Also, his open-shoulder trench coat in orange which opened the show spoke of serious patternmaking skills.

Sander Lak confirming his tailor skills for his F/W 2019 collection

What we loved?

Knotting his fabric strands at the navel, the lace draping and the multilayer fabric skirts in all kinds of neon to pastel hues showed a master colorist at work.

A perfect play of fabric and color at the Sies Marjan F/W 2019 show

The setting?

Sies Marjan covered the floor of a soundstage on West 37th Street in crystal mesh glitter and lit it like a nightclub with spotlights following the models. A flashy element so far unknown to his cerebral clothes.

The crowd?

We have never seen that many top brass retailers and etailers at a show of a designer who is only in his seventh season.

Area F/W 2019

A beautifully lit atrium of an office building on Wall Street. Every important buyer in the world in the front row. A nice gang of downtown looking hipsters and editors in the audience. A brand named after a famous New York City nightclub from the 80’s, which brought together dance floor and art gallery. Here is an interesting recipe for a show of a brand we swear we never heard of before. Area NYC vowed with a collection, which fit into no drawer. That’s what great fashion is about.

Poland meets USA?

They met at Parson’s School of Design and decided to start their own label. We heard that one before and good to know it still works. Yankee Beckett Fogg and Polish born Piotrek Panszczyk seem to be in love with fashion and its history. Their clothes reflect the cultural clash they go through on their own in the most arresting way possible.

What we really loved?

Beauty and booty. These clothes show no fear to put a women’s assets on center stage. Many looks were covered up in front but revealing the behind; or deftly displayed cleavage without ever being vulgar. No small feat to pull off.

Area’s sexy & feminine balance

The concept?

They were looking for contrasts as in age, body size, gender, silhouette, era and music. And it took them to an unexpected new place, which is what great fashion is all about. Balenciaga silhouette meets Courrèges future via Canal Street embroideries.

Fashion time travel at Area F/W 2019/20 runway collection

The hair in the soup?

The strands of crystals woven into the models’ hair were new and drop dead gorgeous.

Sparkling tribal inspired hair details at Area show

The production and PR?

With a low budget, Area pulled off an incredibly high production level. The place was well lit, the music booming and all the models well groomed with not one hair out of place. Best of all, someone really thought about the casting and styling. Every model paraded down the long catwalk looking like they loved the look they wore. Bringing in Ritual Projects from Paris where owner Robin Meason has championed some of the industry’s most original voices like Demna Gvasalia or Glenn Martens felt like a perfect fit for these out of the box designers.

Laudable production for Area signed by Paris based communications agency Ritual Projects