Lodz – Page 5 – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland Off Out Of Schedule S/S 2012 in Łódź: Paulina Plizga

Paulina Plizga S/S 2012 by Cruz.

For her S/S 2012 collection Paulina Plizga was inspired by dance, so leading the Flesh & Bone collection down the catwalk was contemporary dancer Kaya Kolodziejczyk, who threw a series of crazy shapes in front of the unsuspecting crowd. The next models walked at a stately pace, some fast, some two by two or in hand – the back lighting emphasised their tousled hair and their blackened eye sockets gave the classical ballet aesthetic a dark, distressed edge. Paulina Plizga showed us a predominantly white collection with intermissions of grey, ochre and black in a range of textures, from holey knits and ancient lace to patchworked fabrics and reappropriated sheers.

Paulina Plizga SS 2012 by Geiko Louve
Paulina Plizga S/S 2012 by Geiko Louve.

When I spoke with Paulina Plizga after the show she described how all of her outfits are constructed from scraps which she forages from the couture houses in Paris (where she lives) and these are mixed with antique laces that she finds in markets. For relaxation she likes nothing better than to go to the cinema, and so recent viewings of Black Swan, The Red Shoes and Pina Bausch films helped form ideas for S/S 2012, along with the Greek story of Pygmalion, wherein a statue comes to life. This was a welcome second chance for me to view Paulina Plizga’s clever design aesthetics; read my review of Paulina Plizga‘s previous A/W 2011 collection here.

Paulina Plizga Fashion Week Poland SS 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory

Paulina Plizga S/S 2012. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Friday November 4th, 2011 10:21 pm

Categories ,ballet, ,Black Swan, ,couture, ,Cruz, ,dance, ,Eco fashion, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Flesh & Bone, ,Geiko Louve, ,Kaya Kolodziejczyk, ,knitwear, ,Lodz, ,Off Out Of Schedule, ,paris, ,Patchwork, ,Paulina Plizga, ,Pina Bausch, ,Pygmalion, ,recycled, ,Red Shoes, ,Sheer, ,The Red Shoes, ,Upcycled

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

Agata Wojtkiewicz Fashion Week Poland AW 2011 by Michalis Christodoulou
Agata Wojtkiewicz A/W 2011 by Michalis Christodoulou.

At last! A fast paced catwalk show. Agata Wojtkiewicz‘s collection was sent out at a sprightly pace, drug to the upbeat vocals of a female singer. There was fawn, capsule orange, and powder lilac, zippered butter soft leather and summery orange and yellow strapless pleated dresses overlaid with leather straps. Highly desirable metallic pleat maxi dresses gave a well considered nod to current trends and I particularly loved the last coppery dress. Unfortunately it was not obvious whether the furry gilet was real fur or not, though I very much hope it was fake because it looked so teddy bear cuddly. An otherwise very successful collection from a former Golden Thread Awards winner. Hurrah!

Agata Wojtkiewicz Golden Thread ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011 photography by Amelia Gregory
Agata Wojtkiewicz A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday May 24th, 2011 11:58 am

Categories ,Agata Wojtkiewicz, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Fur, ,Golden Thread Awards, ,Lodz, ,Maxi dresses, ,metallics, ,Michalis Christodoulou, ,pleats

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

Bohoboca by Casey Otremba
Bohoboco by Casey Otremba.

Bohoboco featured lots of grey and black yet again. And shades of cream and buttermilk – all very tasteful. There was plenty of draped jersey (again), page cowl necks, back to front collars and maxi dresses in chiffon, the girls swishing their skirts out dramatically. The girls wore spider earring cuffs, and for once the hair was styled up into sideswept ponytails. There were some clever touches and it was all very wearable.

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

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday June 1st, 2011 12:31 pm

Categories ,Bohoboco, ,Casey Otremba, ,commercial, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Fur, ,Grey, ,Lodz

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland Off Out Of Schedule S/S 2012 in Łódź: Sylwia Rochala

Sylwia Rochala S/S 2012 by Rebecca Higgins.

It was an early Sunday morning start for Sylwia Rochala, who showed a small collection that encompassed the trend for double length skirts, created with gauzy layers of fabric. Sharp tailoring was combined with floaty chiffon and sheer panels with cutaway details were used with a bold monochrome splash fabric. The X-Ray collection was inspired by ‘the idea of the human body being a duality of thin, transparent skin and the heavy organism that lies beneath it.‘ Ponytailed models sported heavy silver lips and red heels were a nice touch. Red shoes are always good!

Sylwia Rochala Fashion Week Poland SS 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory

Sylwia Rochala S/S 2012. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday November 9th, 2011 4:28 pm

Categories ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Lodz, ,Off Out Of Schedule, ,Rebecca Higgins, ,Red Shoes, ,S/S 2012, ,Sheer, ,X-ray

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

Agnieszka Maciejak Fashion Week Poland AW 2011 by Michalis Christodoulou.

I have very few notes from the Agnieszka Maciejak show – maybe it was the vodka, prostate or maybe I was just utterly knackered after a full on day of shows. Who can say?! There was plenty of white, medicine black and cream, no rx again highlighted with slashes of lime green and metallic glints. For once (hallelujah) this was a fast show, featuring some fun leggings in colourful curved patterns. I was convinced I saw the same dress come out twice, but again that could have been the vodka. One thing I did notice was that hair on the Polish catwalk is almost always long, usually straight or a little bit mussed. Why is that?

Agnieszka Maciejak Golden Thread ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Agnieszka Maciejak A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Saturday May 28th, 2011 10:57 am

Categories ,Agnieszka Maciejak, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Lodz, ,Michalis Christodoulou, ,poland, ,Vodka

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland Off Out Of Schedule A/W 2011 in Łódź: Konrad Parol

Konrad-Parol-by-Victoria-Haynes
Konrad Parol A/W 2011 by Victoria Haynes.

Konrad Parol had a slot upstairs in the beautiful old power plant hall, side effects with colourful vaulted windows more suited to a church than an industrial plant. This was an edgy Parisian/Belgium look that featured lots of black – it clearly has commercial potential. In the UK Konrad Parol is in fact stocked by Not Just a Label. To the sounds of an industrial gothic medieval soundtrack boys emerged two at a time with slicked back hair and pale skin. There was some clever touches – orange highlights and flashes of tartan underlining on a girl’s cape and on the back of a boy’s jacket, symptoms DMs with bristle tops. The laced top for a boy was a bit questionable but there were some interesting corsetry features on a mini cape for girls. A crusader-esque face covering capelet ended the show on a surreal note.

Konrad Parol Off Out ?ód? Fashion Week AW 2011-photography by Amelia Gregory
Konrad Parol A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday May 23rd, 2011 10:13 pm

Categories ,Bielnik and Elektrownia, ,black, ,corsetry, ,DMs, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,gothic, ,Industrial, ,Konrad Parol, ,Lodz, ,medieval, ,Not Just a Label, ,Off Out Of Schedule, ,Parisian, ,Podsiadło Ksiezy Mlyn, ,Tartan, ,Victoria Haynes

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland S/S 2012 in Łódź: An Introduction

Fashion Week Poland people SS 2012-international press photography Amelia Gregory
Fashion Week Poland S/S 2012. International press on the front row, all photography by Amelia Gregory.

Last week I returned to Łódź in Poland for my second dose of Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland. This time around I knew more about what to expect and already had some designers in mind to watch. I was also determined to see as many off schedule shows as possible, because as is often the case this is where the most exciting new talent resides.

Fashion Week Poland 2011 andels hotel exterior

Once again I stayed at the Andels Hotel, a fabulous establishment created from one of the many old factories that typify the landscape of Łódź. Andels has neon rimmed curved cut outs between floors and high ceilinged bedrooms that belie it’s industrial origins, and the breakfast is yummy. What more could you want?

Łódź Fashion Week AW 2011-Andels room
Lodz Fashion Week AW 2011-Andels bedroom
Fashion Week Poland 2011 andels hotel interior

Unfortunately I had no time to sample their spectacular overhanging rooftop swimming pool because I had a hectic four days of shows, with up to 12 shows to see each day. To make things even more exciting I offered to take over the official Fashion Week Poland twitter feed @fashionweek_pl for the duration of my visit. Twitter really hasn’t taken off in Poland yet, but I was determined to show them how important it is to reach an international fashion audience. So for four days, not only was I taking photos and editing between shows, I was also twittering as much as I could given a sometimes shaky internet connection (better wi-fi than London Fashion Week though I might add). Interestingly Facebook is huge news for business, with many designers using it as their sole means of communication on the web.

Fashion Week Poland people SS 2012 Amelia Gregory and Marlena Woolford
Pregnant ladies on the front row: myself with Fashion Trends Analyst Marlena Woolford.

Fashion Week Poland people SS 2012-Joanna Malgorzata Kralkowska
Eating Polish pancakes at Manekin with my lovely guide Joanna Dyrdowska and Fashion Week Poland organiser Małgorzata Kralkowska.

Having been to Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland twice I now have a much stronger idea of what I would determine to be uniquely Polish in fashion – they excel at a curious mix of grungey draping, downbeat mumsy colours and 80s brashness. Polish style at it’s best revels in odd colour combinations and contrasting fabrics and it’s refreshing to see a strong strain of environmental awareness manifested in both materials and design inspiration (I sadly missed the Re-Act eco fashion show on Wednesday night). Grey jersey draping is such a common theme across collections that when used unimaginatively it quickly becomes very tiring, but when done well it adds to that essential Polish feel, as typified by the likes of Monika Ptaszek. Her S/S 2012 menswear collection was one of my favourites, and showcased the very best of what is essential Polish style.

Monika Ptaszek Fashion Week Poland SS 2012

Monika Ptaszek S/S 2012.

Aside from a very Polish strain to many collections there were noticeably more international trends running through the shows this season, as compared with last. Sheer fabrics reigned supreme, (exposed bums and boobs, hello) as did ikat and digital prints, plus the mini maxi combo that leaves models struggling to align fabric in the best position for cameras as they stride down the catwalk.

Joanna Klimas Fashion Week Poland SS 2012
Sheer at Joanna Klimas S/S 2012.

Poitr Drzal Fashion Week Poland SS 2012
Bottoms on show at Poitr Drzal S/S 2012.

Blessus Fashion Week Poland SS 2012
Ikat meets maximini at Blessus S/S 2012.

In my upcoming blogs I’ll give a flavour of how this emerging fashion centre is evolving and I will of course concentrate on the most exciting Polish designers to watch out for. There are plenty of Polish designers who have studied and are now working to considerable acclaim in London, and there’s no reason why home trained talent should not make a bigger mark on the international scene in the years to come too.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday November 1st, 2011 12:57 pm

Categories ,@fashionweek_pl, ,Andel’s Hotel, ,Blessus, ,Facebook, ,fashion, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Ikat, ,Inspiration Trends Analysis, ,Joanna Dyrdowska, ,Joanna Klimas, ,Lodz, ,London Fashion Week, ,Manekin, ,Marlena Woolford, ,Maximini, ,Małgorzata Kralkowska, ,menswear, ,MiniMaxi, ,Monika Ptaszek, ,Pancakes, ,Poitr Drzal, ,poland, ,S/S 2012, ,Sheer, ,twitter

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: Lukasz Jemiol

Lucasz Jemiol by Anna Blachut.

Lukasz Jemiol opted for a set designed catwalk, approved steel tubes careful back lit with dry ice – models came out one by one to pose in groups amongst the industrial type gubbins. Colours were neutral with splashes of gold and lime green, doctor and there was plenty of strapped chiffon, draped jersey and shaggy shoulder shrugs. Despite the theatrics this was really quite a dull commercial collection.

Lukasz Jemiol by Anna Blachut.

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

Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday June 1st, 2011 12:06 pm

Categories ,Anna Blachut, ,Chiffon, ,Designers’ Avenue, ,Expo, ,Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland, ,Fashion Week Poland, ,Industrial, ,jersey, ,Lodz, ,Lukasz Jemiol

Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Philosophy Fashion Week Poland S/S 2012 in Łódź: Blessus

Blessus S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins
Blessus S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Blessus showed Navaho against a bright orange screen, a suitable background to an earthy collection of burnt shades inspired by the Navajo indians of Arizona. It featured tailored jackets and yards of chiffon with a combination of pencil skirts, tight trousers and skater skirts. Ikat and wallpaper inspired prints were highlights. Blessus is Marta Matuszewska and Michael Hekmat.

Blessus Fashion Week Poland SS 2012-photography by Amelia Gregory

Blessus S/S 2012. All photography by Amelia Gregory.