An Abundant Life - Art In Gorgeous Motion

Zuzanna Kozlowska is a muse. An artist and a designer, she fashions clothing out of fabric that she's cut and draped and sometimes painted on, and she creates wearable art that is meant to be a one-of-a-kind treasure for the lucky person who finds it. I saw her fashion show at Paul Calendrillo New York Gallery during Fashion Week, and though the room was packed, there was still a very select and intimate feeling about the way she shared her vision of the clothing and the way she designed each piece with loving care just as she designed the evening with refined touches of baby's breath and bluebells on the seats and healthy food and snacks to eat with our luscious Prosecco. She walked in her own show, a lovely vision among so many lovely visions - as I told a friend afterward even the models were perfectly chosen in their uniqueness and charm and character. In the search for visibility, there are times that fashion designers go overboard, trying to make the models look ghoulish or garish, but the models in this show were attractive and attracting in a way that drew attention to the lovely clothing they wore because it was made so well and created a lovely flow in its drapes and falls and colors and textures.

The show, "Feel-Silk-Flow" launched a new collection and the brand ZUZ which was created in collaboration with Zuzanna's mother, the couture fashion designer Olga Kozlowska. It was held in conjunction with the artist's gallery show of work on fabric that was titled "Burn-Fear-Flow", and there is a back story that a fire in Zuzanna's apartment caused her to lose her home and nearly everything she owned, including years of her artwork and a lifetime of creations. But instead of mourning the loss and being overwhelmed by it, the designer and artist took her cue from nature and brought the emotions and colors of her experience to exquisite life. The work in this show is a departure from some of her earlier couture work just as the work in the gallery is a simplified version of the elaborate drawing on fabric she has done in the past. There's a purity of line and simplicity of vision that makes each piece of wearable art something that could be treasured forever.

When I asked Zuzanna if I could meet with her to take photos for a blog post, she suggested we meet at Paul Calendrillo's gallery. She arrived with a wearable that she had created, and proceeded to treat us to our own private fashion show as she explored the multi-faceted ways to wear it around the different pieces of art she had created on the walls in the room. I was reminded of Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham, and some of the other early champions of avante garde art and dance. This was living art in radiant color, an art of gorgeous motion, celebrating the flow and motion of life.

Zuzanna Kozlowska

At Paul Calendrillo New York Gallery

https://www.paulcalendrillo.com/

https://www.zuzannakozlowska.com/

Work On Fabric

Bringing Art To Life

At The Fashion Show
"Feel-Silk-Flow"
The Launch of ZUZ SS19

At The Tesla Motors Exhibition "Metamovement"
Wearing Painted Couture
Part Of A Runway Show And Discussion
Of The Meaning Of Motion
Photograph Courtesy Of Paul Calendrillo
Photo Credit Peter Horton

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Sustainable Inspiration

When I first started writing the section of this blog that is titled "An Abundant Life", the first post was about Neeta King and her store Aaraa in Hoboken. Neeta shared the space with Sharon Florio of Sixth Street Antiques, another favorite store that I have also written about, and both of their lovely spaces were places I visited on a regular basis. When I heard last year that Neeta was moving and closing her storefront I was very sad to hear it, though I was happy for her that she was moving into what I was sure would be a wonderful new life. I still kept visiting with Sharon because her store has long been a favorite destination, and one afternoon a little over a month ago I heard that she would have a new designer moving in to share the space with her. The way that she described the clothing sounded as if it would be a place I'd like to visit, and so I put the opening day in my calendar and made sure to stop by. There was a lovely party going on, full of exuberant life and lots of delicious pizza and Prosecco, and I met the designer Carla Mota who welcomed me warmly and shared that she had been meeting so many friendly and welcoming people that afternoon that she was feeling very much at home in the space. I was glad to hear it and glad to meet her, because Carla and her store, The Art Of Utility, are delightful. There is a whimsy about her, but also an eye for detail that is not found everywhere. Her designs are lovely and inspiring and she is using excellent materials and vintage clothing that she refashions into something completely her own. Mud cloths have long been favorite textiles of mine, and Carla is turning them into clothing that not only is comfortable but is beautiful. Hand stitching and cutting the fabrics and clothing, she creates one of a kind designs that can become signature pieces for the wearer. Her store is one of those places that feels comfortable too - it's lovely and light and she has made the most of the already charming space by designing places to relax and live in while exploring her designs.

Sustainable fashion is a beautiful way to encourage and educate people on the ways that they can live every day in beauty and comfort and elegance without creating heavy footprints. And Carla Mota's art and dedication to her craft shine through in the way each piece is chosen and identified and created uniquely into something special. Formerly the Design Director for the Champion Sportswear brand, the aesthetic of her designs is influenced by military, workwear and athletic classics combined with her own unique touches of comfort and beauty that bring out the best of each garment and create a lasting style. The lived-in quality of the pieces is enhanced by the couture attention to detail that makes each piece unique, wearable, enduring and endearing. A visit with Carla Mota is a visit to a much more peaceful planet, one where you can find that special something, be inspired, and simply just be.   

Carla Mota

At The Art Of Utility

408 East 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

https://cmotastudio.com/

A Lovely Opening Party

And Some Behind The Scenes Preparation

For Opening Day

Video Courtesy Of Carla Mota

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A Luxurious History Of Beauty

I met the amazing Rolando Iglesias in 2015 in Hoboken, New Jersey where he had a store that I happily wandered into one day. It is no secret to me now that he has an amazing eye for choosing the most beautiful home furnishings and decorative arts, but at the time I had never seen so many beautiful objects of art in one store. There are places I like to visit for inspiration, and after I met Rolando that first day, I kept stopping by whenever I had the chance. Over time we got to talking and I was telling him about some furniture that a very generous friend who is an interior desiger had given me, and after having a conversation about it, we realized that at least one of the pieces was quite possibly the same table that he'd sold to my friend in Manhattan several years before. It's a classically beautiful piece, and Rolando only deals in the most beautiful and elegant furnishings. Every piece in his store is something I could be happy having in my own home.

His store in Hoboken was so beautiful and luxurious that I asked if I could write a blog post about him which I did, and now that he is a part of the 1st Dibs Gallery at New York Design Center in Manhattan I asked if I could write about him again in his new location. Being a 1st Dibs dealer is not easy - the requirements are rigorous and there is an ongoing need for verifying provenance that only the most selective and committed dealers can achieve. But Rolando is extraordinary - he has the most amazing eye for discovering hidden gems and bringing them to their best light. Every piece that I've found at his store since I've known him has been only the best - solid, eye catching, and indescribably and perfectly delightfully gorgeous in the truest sense of a vintage lover's dreams. His honesty and integrity are backed by his prodigious knowledge and hard work. He knows so much about the pieces he sells that visiting with him is like visiting a museum that has an excellent curator. And a curator he is, with every piece in his store placed with care so that it shines to perfection, while complimenting the other pieces around it. As your eye is drawn from one place to another, you find yourself naturally seeing the beauty of each piece in a way that is organic and brings everything to life. He is so young for one who has so much knowledge and experience, and so hard working. But as he moves through his pieces, discussing them expertly, giving their history and describing their provenance, there is a seriousness and maturity that only comes with someone who has spent time with the best of vintage and antique pieces, bringing their beauty alive so that they can grace a new home.

Rolando Iglesias is a treasure among treasures. His knowledge alone is worth a trip to his store, and the beauty you'll see there will inspire and uplift you. And when you begin to choose pieces for your own home, they will fill your surroundings with comfortable elegance. The pieces Rolando finds are stunning, and their history and pedigree the best. They are pieces that were made to last when they were first designed, and their timeless beauty and integrity of form and function will outlast any trend and bring the pleasure of a purchase that is made as an investment for the future. When I wrote about Rolando before, I said that he has the keys to a kingdom, and with his help and guidance, your home can be a castle.

Rolando Iglesias

At Modern Retro Finds

1st Dibs At New York Design Center

200 Lexington Avenue

New York City
https://www.1stdibs.com/dealers/modern-retro-finds/

https://www.1stdibs.com/info/nydc/ 

Blessings,

Jannie Susan