Art and Fashion Collide: What People Wore to the First Day of the Frieze Art Fair

Reported by Vogue.

Art fair season has arrived in New York, and with it comes one of fashion's most underrated spectacles. Frieze Art Fair draws artists, curators, collectors, and gallerists from around the world — and according to Vogue, the style on display rivals anything happening on a runway. The real question the crowd keeps asking: who actually dresses better, fashion people or art people? Vanity Fair art columnist Nate Freeman offered the most honest answer: "You'll get more consistency with the fashion people, but some unexpected bangers out of the art people."

The collectors and advisors showed up with serious intention. Collector Jennifer Levitt mixed Bottega Veneta, Khaite, and Gabriela Hearst — "I always want to look as chic as possible, especially for the art crowd." Art advisor Laura Zemmel went full Dries Van Noten on top and bottom, anchored by a vintage Phoebe Philo–era Céline bag, a Cartier watch, and jewelry layered with personal history: an Elsa Peretti cuff, a Tiffany Bone Ring, and two ladybug charms — one for her late sister, one for herself. Stylist and store owner April Hughes kept it tonal in a full suit from English label Sono, vintage Fendi bag, and Dries shoes, admitting the weather derailed her original plan to wear more color.

Low-Key Is a Strategy, Not an Accident

Some of the strongest looks were the least deliberate. Stylist Julie Ragolia rolled in off a bike in Phoebe Philo trousers, a Row boots, a Peter Do blazer, Comme des Garçons shirt wildly untucked, and a Bottega bag — describing her undershirt as "the shittiest" with zero apology. Visual artist and professor Ajani Russell overslept and grabbed everything off the couch: a Mugler jacket, a Korn concert hoodie, Allsaints leggings repurposed as a top, red pants cut from a Brazilian jumpsuit she hated, and an Aritzia skirt. The result? A considered-looking red-and-black study in chaos. Meanwhile, 25-year-old art advisor Eliana Smith wore head-to-toe Zara with Prada shoes and a St. Agni bag — proof that the mix, not the label count, is what registers.

Freeman himself showed up in Belgian shoes his wife converted him to, a J.Crew blazer from the Brendon Babenzian era with DIY suede elbow patches, a Brooks Brothers shirt, and a tie — his daily uniform, non-negotiable. "It's about not having to think," he said. Retired tax lawyer turned collector Robin Zimmerman didn't even remember half of what she was wearing, but a Marni bracelet and New Balance x Ganni sneakers made the outfit land anyway.

The throughline across every look: dressing as a form of self-knowledge, whether that means a decades-old undershirt or a Chanel belt on a Tuesday — and knowing exactly why.

Read the original at Vogue.