Couture Luxe At The Polish Embassy, Paris: Gosia Baczynska
Gosia Baczynska: 1930s Bohemian Glamour at the Polish Embassy, Paris
A Polish couture designer that has arrived recently in Paris was inspired by the credo of Henry Miller for her second big show:
"Write first and always, painting, music, friends, cinema, these come afterwards. Don't be nervous, work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is at hand. Discard the program when you feel like it-but go back to it the next day, concentrating, narrow down, exclude."
Just these few words obviously meant a lot to Gosia as her collection had both the joy of explosion and the discipline of form that allowed her to explore: surfaces, textures, ransparencies, gilded edges, laces and sheer overlays and transparencies. The fun and rapture of this collection was also shown by the beauty of the girls who no doubt were of Polish descent, their almost raw classic looks added a spirit of independence o the collection. Hairstyles were edgy and a counterpoint to the couture dresses and ensembles. The hints of chic couture ideas reminded me a bit of 80s Lagerfeld and his groundbreaking period at Chanel when he reinvented the house. Bosia has been inspired by the glamour of the 1930s and the late Art Deco period with her patterns and surface decoration in gold, black, white, creme, and gray. The pleats and architectural structure is based on the rectangle and repetition of these familiar elements. She is probably also an "80s club girl all grown up" because the party atmosphere of the collection really made you want to dress up and go out. For the more urban girl she created a group that resembled street graphics and graffiti that were very modern and almost political in their conception. In both short and long versions of dresses and tops he layers moved and shifted as they flew down the runway creating depth and interest. The collection was both new and edgy in the use of graphics but hints of classic couture and her admiration for tradition was evident everywhere. I hope to see some of these gowns on the red carpet in the future as I feel a new fashion star will be born there. I look forward to seeing more of her unique voice in the future.
Our thanks to Julie V. our student intern at Paris College of Art & Design for the Runway Photos.
