Piotrek Panszczyk’s Top Ten

The Area designer Piotrek Panszczyk knows a thing or two about dreaming up fantasy-fueled fashions. But what does the New York–based creative get up to when he’s not in the studio? Keep reading.

1. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN JUST 10 WORDS

Curious

Extreme

Funny

Witty

Passionate

Oxymoron

Open

Skeptical

Lazy

Corny

2. WHAT ARE YOUR MOST-PLAYED TRACKS ON SPOTIFY?

I’m more of an Apple Music type of person. Here’s a mix of tracks and albums:

Cloth Felt

Ceechynaa Last Laugh

André 3000 New Blue Sun

Sekucci First Thing

Regis Complete Works 1994-1996

Sexyy Red Hood Hottest Princess

(Deluxe)

Club Eat Sad Song

Andy Stott Faith in Strangers

Sinoia Caves Sundown in the New Arcade

(Milky Way Echo)

Nicki Minaj Pink Friday 2

3. WHERE IN THE WORLD (OR OUTER SPACE) ARE YOUR 10 DREAM DESTINATIONS?

New York in the Sixties/Seventies/Eighties

Mexico City

Club Area in NYC in the Eighties

Tokyo

Anywhere in the Caribbean

Yoron Island, Japan

Mumbai

New Mexico

New Orleans

Mozambique

4. GET SNIFFY: WHAT ARE YOUR 10 FAVORITE SMELLS?

Frédéric Malle Synthetic Jungle

Jasmine

Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir by

Jean-Claude Ellena

Palo santo

Good leather

Sandalwood

Dried eucalyptus

Smoked herbs

Tuberose

Smells that trigger memories, like the smell of returning to a certain country

5. NAME THE 10 AUTHORS OR BOOKS WE SHOULD BE READING NEXT

Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson

Must we mean what we say? by Stanley Cavell

Clockers by Richard Price

Happening by Annie Ernaux

Picture by Lillian Ross

The Sense of Beauty by George Santayana

Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet

Long Day’s Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill

The Principles of Art by R.G. Collingwood

6. WHAT ARE YOUR MUST-WATCH FILMS, SHOWS, OR TV PROGRAMS?

This category is for sure a crossover between top guilty pleasures contrasted with strong visuals…

The Real Housewives of Atlanta/Beverly Hills/ Potomac/Miami

Anything in the Baddies franchise

Belle Collective

Joseline’s Cabaret

Silo

Foundation

Man Ray’s Emak Bakia

Eyes Without a Face

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?

La Haine

7. WHAT ARE YOUR 10 FAVORITE SNACKS?

Key lime pie

Bread and butter

Polish pickles

Almost any pastry with cream/jam

Anything at Gem restaurant

New York

Anchovies

Pulpo de Roca at La Vara, Brooklyn

Grapes

Chocolate and lemon ice cream eaten together

8. THE GUILTIEST PLEASURES: WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU LIKE BUT KNOW YOU REALLY SHOULDN’T?

Anything sweet, anything messy/shady

9. WHAT 10 THINGS WOULD YOU SAVE IF THERE WERE A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE?

I think I would just surrender to the 3zombies at that point

10. NAME 10 PEOPLE WHO REALLY INSPIRE YOU

Azzedine Alaïa

Paco Rabanne

Nina Simone

Junya Watanabe

Man Ray

Elsa Schiaparelli

Cristóbal Balenciaga

Pierre Cardin

Miuccia Prada

Yves Saint Laurent