The Polish-American Fashion Foundation (PAFF) held their first ever fashion show at the beginning of the 2015 New York Fashion Week at The New Museum. Created by Alexandra Boroczak in 2014, PAFF used their first show as a platform to introduce new Polish designers to the American fashion world. The first designer showcased was Viola Spiechowicz. The beginning of her collection for Spring 2016 was filled with tans, whites and browns. The first look had the feeling of a traditional Kimono, with a loose fitting bottom, but tight chest and waist. As the collection continued, the looks began to become less modest and fall into cover-ups and swimwear. Blues and whites began to mix together, illuminating the models natural makeup and accessories. Spiechowicz allowed her collection to flow through the world of traditional Eastern and Asian silhouettes, into a form that mixed colors and fabrics brilliantly. One of her final pieces was a dress that had blue and pink fabric on the inside of the white outer fabric. Though every piece of fabric seemed rough to the touch, each had an element of translucency, which made the mixture of colors beautifully experimental.
The next designer, MIA, is a partnership of a mother and daughter. Much different from the first designer, MIA focused their collection on whites and blacks, with sharp, athletic silhouettes. From start to finish, MIA’s aesthetic was rough, but also felt as though any woman could grab an outfit from their collection, and go. Loose white fabrics mixed with thicker blacks, and even translucent pants and coats were introduced throughout the showcase. This mother-daughter pair brought their grit to their work, and allowed for the audience to not only see the strength, but feel it as well.
The final showcase of the night, was absolutely flawless. The designing duo Paprocki & Brzozowski brought a new world of color and figure to Spring 2016. From the first gold pant/coat combination, to the final white floral spectacle top, this duo brought true fashion to New York Fashion Week. One of their most beautiful pieces was an elegant green dress. With a hem that reached mid-thigh of the model, this masterpiece continued with a lighter, chiffon-like fabric, that reached the floor and flew behind the model, as-if a river.
Each piece that was shown from Paprocki & Brzozowski topped itself, with both color and silhouette. I would be shocked if this duo wasn’t on the main stage of New York Fashion Week 2016.
