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Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Berenika Czarnota

Berenika Czarnota 2011 by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
Berenika Czarnota A/W 2011 by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs.

Having seen the cute photo in the Fashion Week Poland guide book I was most excited to see the first catwalk show back over at Expo on Sunday… Designer Berenika Czarnota did not disappoint, malady showing a series of fabulously inventive yet wearable knitwear in shades of grey, remedy with highlights of lime, orange and blue. And at last there was the chance to admire some interesting styling, even if it was a tad overplayed: each model came out with a cute little wolf mask perched at a jaunty angle on her head. Calf high socks with block-heeled shoes worked especially well in tomato red.

Berenika Czarnota A/W 2011 by Michelle Urvall Nyrén.

Chunky knit jumpers, cowls, dresses and throw shawls featured over-sized cabling, intarsia block lettering and in one case an intarsia helicopter. Floaty print designs called to mind cloudy skies or batik-like splodges. The collection became weaker towards the end as more commercial pieces started to feature heavily in what was an overly long show, but Berenika Czarnota was undoubtedly one of my favourite designers from Fashion Week Poland. Great stuff.

Berenika Czarnota A/W 2011 by Michelle Urvall Nyrén.

Berenika Czarnota ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Berenika Czarnota A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday May 31st, 2011 9:31 am

Categories ,Berenika Czarnota, ,Cable, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Intarsia, ,knitwear, ,Lodz, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Masks, ,Michelle Urvall Nyrén, ,prints, ,Slowly the Eggs

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Monnari

Monnari ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Monnari A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

I was told to expect a very commercial collection from one of Poland’s biggest fashion brands, information pills which opened with the Monnari face – a sexy older lady. ‘Ex model, advice TV presenter’ – myself and my neighbour correctly guessed as I marvelled at the polished front row opposite us.

Monnari ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory

Wrap overs, petal skirts, cable knits, lime, purple and a first showing for on trend emerald green. Dreadful jewellery. Grey, moire, lilac brocade, splashy flower prints and an unnecessary fur cape. Totally without focus and commercial as promised.

Monnari ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Monnari A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday June 1st, 2011 9:49 am

Categories ,commercial, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Fur, ,leather, ,Lodz, ,Monnari

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Ewa Kozieradzka

Ewa Kozieradzka Lodz Fashion Week AW 2011 Illustration by Michalis Christodoulou
Ewa Kozieradzka A/W 2011 by Michalis Christodoulou.

Ewa Kozieradzka put on a fun and very different catwalk show that featured bouncy girls in cheeky secretary glasses and flirty pony tails. As my neighbour said ‘there must be a lot of vodka backstage’ for they came racing out in sweet little swing dresses, what is ed blowing kisses to the audience, bopping, curtseying, swinging, twirling their full skirts and posing like crazy.

Ewa Kozieradzka ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory

At the end two of the girls held hands as they skipped along together. If mustard and black are your thing then this would have tickled your fancy greatly – but I can’t help feeling that it would have been so much better in an extended colour range and in many different types of fabrics beyond basic woollen jersey.

Ewa Kozieradzka A/W 2011 by Michalis Christodoulou.

Ewa Kozieradzka ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Ewa Kozieradzka A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Is it just me or does that hand look bloomin’ HUGE?!

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday May 31st, 2011 4:32 pm

Categories ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Ewa Kozieradska, ,Ewa Kozieradzka, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Lodz, ,Michalis Christodoulou

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Hexeline

Hexeline A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson.

It’s a bad sign when the opening intro to a show is more exciting than the actual show. So it was with well known brand Hexeline, medicine which opened with Alpacas clambering all over each other to frantic drumbeats.

Hexeline ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory

Quilting, shaggy coats, sheepskin, ruched puffas, all in muted tones with black. Then swing coats, 60s shift dresses, gold bangles, a net maxi skirt and were those real black fur stoles? So many different shapes, wobbling models and no coherent vision. Despite the Alpaca warfare edgy Hexeline are not. But hey, it was a commercial collection and they clearly sell well. Hopefully alpacas really do come in all colours of the rainbow… including black.

Hexeline ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Hexeline A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 27th, 2011 9:32 pm

Categories ,60s, ,Alpaca, ,commercial, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Ph, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Hexeline, ,Lodz, ,poland, ,Quilting, ,Rebecca Strickson, ,Sheepskin

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Joanna Klimas

Joanna-Klimas_by Alison Day
Joanna Klimas by Alison Day.

Joanna Klimas has had an interesting career to date: initially trained as a psychologist before turning to fashion a decade later. She was one of the first Polish designers to embrace a new minimalism in the 1990s, generic appearing in the first issue of Polish Elle. In 2001 she began to design costumes for the opera but returned to fashion design recently.

Joanna Klimas ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory

This collection was dominated by black and tasteful neutrals such as beige, cheap creamy yellow, order nude and camel. There was a lot of asymmetric shaping, floaty maxi dresses mixed with leather swing crop tops, overlong collars – all accessorised with boyish black oxfords and short socks. I wasn’t convinced by an unflattering sheer plastic skirt or a weird grey printed skin fabric and I was starting to recognise each model’s individual walk, which is never a good point in the proceedings. By the time the turquoise chiffon hit the catwalk I had also lost track of the number of floaty maxi dresses I had seen at Fashion Week Poland. Truth be told Joanna Klimas left me underwhelmed.

Joanna Klimas ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Joanna Klimas A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday May 31st, 2011 2:57 pm

Categories ,Alison Day, ,asymmetric, ,Chiffon, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Joanna Klimas, ,leather, ,Lodz, ,Maxi dresses, ,minimalism

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Michał Szulc

Michal Szulc A/W 2011 by Harriet Fox.

As Expo became busier in the latter half of Saturday the VIP Stock vodka bar started to become more and more appealing, treat if only to fuel our way through the remaining shows. Micha? Szulc was clearly not in the business of enervating us…

Michal Szulc ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory

Leaving You inexplicably began with a face full of pins. Models, barefoot or in black heels paced the catwalk at a snail’s pace, as if half dead. I am not sure what hair wrapped around faces says but I guess it saved on make up. And at least the models had a reason for tripping – even as they progressed towards us at a painfully slow pace. Until the velvet floral pants suit and crop top appeared I thought I might actually die of boredom, as did the majority of the second row, who are here pictured reading the free fashion paper. I enjoyed watching the small child trying to capture the action… until she was shooed away from the catwalk lights.

A word to Polish fashion designers – speed it up for god’s sake! Atmospheric bleeps and crackles on a loop do not add to the discombobulated effect in a good way. And what on earth is the Polish love affair with grey jersey? At the end models meandered toward the photographer’s bank and then vanished into the darkness instead of returning backstage. And we raced back to the vodka bar.

Michal Szulc ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Michal Szulc A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 27th, 2011 10:09 pm

Categories ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Harriet Fox, ,Leaving You, ,Lodz, ,Michał Szulc, ,poland, ,Stock vodka, ,VIP

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: MMC Studio Design

MMC-Design-Studio-Poland-fashion-week-by-Maria-del-Carmen-Smith
MMC Studio Design by Maria del Carmen Smith.

MMC Studio Design featured yet more draped grey jersey, for sale this time accessorised with red foreheads and high ponytails. The show opened, more about for some inexplicable reason, more about with lines of *normal* people straddling the catwalk in rows, faces smeared in black.

MMC Design Studio ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011

I liked the soundtrack, which veered from David Bowie’s Suffragette City, through to punk and grimecore. There was a caplet, splashes of lime green, interesting styling in the form of puffed out bags carried under arms and a vile shaggy matted gilet over nappy pants.

MMC Design Studio ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011 photography by Amelia Gregory

The final model warranted a gold headband (possibly famous? later spotted on the front row, forehead still golden) At the end the models and real people dodged and weaved along the catwalk. My notes say Less is More.

MMC Design Studio ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011 photography by Amelia Gregory
MMC Studio Design A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday May 27th, 2011 10:42 pm

Categories ,David Bowie, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Gold, ,Grimecore, ,Lime, ,Lodz, ,Maria del Carmen Smith, ,MMC Design Studio, ,MMC Studio Design, ,poland, ,punk, ,Suffragette City

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Natasha Pavluchenko

Natasha Pavluchenko Lodz Fashion Week AW 2011 by Michalis Christodoulou
Natasha Pavluchenko A/W 2011 by Michalis Christodoulou.

Over at Expo on Saturday the Designers Avenue kicked off with Natasha Pavluchenko‘s urban fusion, try all trendy indie music crossed with melodious harmonicas. Models wore mussed up ponytails, floppy bows, capes and quilting, all accessorised with flat brogues, thick paper eyelashes and red drop earrings. I particularly liked the skinny trousers and a flash of red under a tailcoat with a cross front, but there was a weird sheen to some fabrics which made them look cheap. There was fun with backless shapes and coats in general were a strong point.. stand outs as the colour palette veered from black to cream to the much favoured red. The denouement was a stunning full shaped quilted coat dress in red. But by this point it had gone on waaaaay too long, yet again. Polish designers really need to learn to make tighter edits if they want to appear on the world stage.

Natasha Pavluchenko ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011 photography by Amelia Gregory
Natasha Pavluchenko A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday May 24th, 2011 10:17 am

Categories ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Fusion, ,Michalis Christodoulou, ,Natasha Pavluchenko, ,Paper Eyelashes, ,Quilting, ,Red

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Nenukko

Nenukko-Lodz-by-Victoria-Haynes
Nenukko A/W 2011 by Victoria Haynes.

Darkness Requires White Spots was the enigmatic name for a by turns commercial and fun collection from Nenukko, ambulance which was opened by a very small person in Japanese wooden flip flops which did barely anything to raise her height to anything approaching catwalk level.

Nenukko ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011 photography Amelia Gregory

There was plenty of capacious hoods, visit this site nappy trousers and panda prints on leggings but I wasn’t so convinced by some of the oversized garments. More mussy hair with plaits in long hair for women, and an oversized tweed print. Crimped hair for men, grey hair and more grey jersey. Yet again it was all about the red, grey, white, black… I don’t really understand the obsession with this narrow colour range, but maybe it’s what the Polish fashion market loves? The models returned for a final stroll barefoot… aside from the little one.

Nenukko ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011 photography Amelia Gregory
Nenukko A/W 2011. All photography Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday May 24th, 2011 1:22 pm

Categories ,black, ,Darkness Requires White Spots, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Geta, ,Grey, ,japanese, ,jersey, ,Lodz, ,Nenukko, ,Panda, ,Red, ,Victoria Haynes, ,White

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland A/W 2011 in Łódź: Paprocki and Brzozowski

Gemma Milly-Paprocki Brzozowski ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011
Paprocki Brzozowski A/W 2011 by Gemma Milly.

Paprocki and Brzozowski are the golden boys of Polish fashion who have previously won the coveted Golden Thread Awards, viagra sale and so they were given the pole position as last show on Saturday night. The venue was packed to the rafters and there were even some goodie bags on the front row seats, viagra dosage but any excitement soon died down on discovery of the contents: a fashion magazine (that I already had) and a brochure.

Paprocki Brzozowski ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011- photography by Amelia Gregory
The designers: Paprocki and Brzozowski.

The show began with a cool mini movie of flapping doves, with the wing beats easily mutating into the already familiar melange of church bells, violins and heartbeats… which gradually turned into thumping techno. The models sported metal neck collars and cuffs, garish blood red and black fake tattoos wriggling up their arms – the only edgy part of an otherwise safe collection of black, grey and pewter metallic tailoring and ruffles. Hair was long and crimped, fuzzed out around the face. There were boxy cuts, cascading layers, sequins, lace, and splotchy ink prints. If I’m honest I struggled to see the connection between shapes. And someone please tell me, what is up with Poland’s love of grey?

Paprocki Brzozowski ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011- photography by Amelia Gregory
Paprocki & Brzozowski A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.