Out and About in New York City

Street StyleChanelAreaJimmy ChooChloéBlackGoldJanuary 2025TopSkirtMatching SetBagShoesJewelryTTPD

Jan 17

the commentary

The first outing of 2025! These pieces are from the FW24 runway, marking Area’s 10th anniversary. To Vogue, co-founder Piotrek Panszczyk said the collection was inspired by pulling the brand’s identity apart. “We would never do a greatest hits collection, so we were thinking, ‘What is the key thing that really defines us?’. Identity can refer to belonging or not belonging, it can be a comfort or it can not be—it can be an annoyance to be identified,” Panszczyk said. Denim was prominent throughout as one of Area’s most iconic categories. Taylor has worn distinct styles of Area’s denim (like her butterfly style from March 2023 + embellished cutouts at Super Bowl LVIII).

Taylor’s brand of songwriting is her greatest identifier - the material for both her sharpest tool and her most stifling cage. An artist lauded her industry’s highest honour for four albums in different genres, Taylor has built a career on being impossible to pin down or box in. But most recently, many dubbed the Eras Tour a “greatest hits” tour. To me, Eras always felt more like the start of a new golden age rather than a victory lap clinging to glory days long past. Fashion is also a part of expression and identity and Taylor has effectively used her style from era to era to identify where she was at in her life. On Taylor, I see a lot of DNA style elements that keep her recognizable, but fresh. The matching set, a bag carefully balanced on a right forearm, a red lip and bangs are all familiar motifs.

I will always love an all black ensemble which Taylor thankfully provides often for dinners out. I’m torn between whether the boots’ slouchy silhouette coordinates well with the peacoat’s boxy cut or if a tighter style would have offset things nicer. All-in, I don’t mind the hourglass-like effect it creates - which also keeps things feeling more current to Taylor today. Bonus? The slouchy boot also ties into the moulded effect on the bag.

Speaking of - the bag is by Jimmy Choo who are one of Taylor’s most turned to brands, although it’s usually for footwear - not bags. The chunky ‘diamond’ clasp feels like it’s meant to play in with the other chunky “bejeweled” elements of the look. As seen on the detailing from her jacket and skirt plus those earrings.

Texturally, it also feels like it taps into the slouchy over-the-knee boots. The boots happen to be by Chloé - one of the brands I’ve often noted as wanting to see Taylor wear more so it’s a delight to see her in a pair of their shoes. In fact, on every (rare) occasion she wears Chloé, I say this very thing.

This marks Taylor’s third recent showing with some Chanel monogramming - the other two were both at Chiefs games (against the Texans and the Buccaneers).

Given that Taylor rarely wears Chanel, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was a subtle bit of fashion style timeline continuation given we are on the eve of the Chiefs’ first game of the playoffs which kicks off tomorrow (Saturday) at Arrowhead Stadium. The home game happens to be against the aforementioned Houston Texans - the most recent opponents the Chiefs faced where Taylor was in attendance. Taylor is likely to be at tomorrow’s game (Travis seemingly affirmed as such in a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show). In my mind, this creates a bridge as Taylor certainly knows that what she wears will be identified and traced to previous instances. In terms of style math: First street style appearance of 2025 / Ahead of her first game day appearance of 2025 = Last game day of 2024 reference. I wouldn’t even be surprised if she wore Chanel tomorrow!

Based on the number of secondhand retailers with what appears to be this older style of earrings, the choice also neatly plays into one of Taylor’s style pillars for game day specifically and her style in general: Vintage.