ALICE IN WONDERLAND a mad-hatter’s tea party
Photography
Mikey Pozarik Designer
Kaytee Papusza Interview Kari Skaflen
“a beautiful dress possesses the same qualities of a lovely poem�
Above the Fray Magazine sat down with designer Kaytee Papusza, the woman behind Papusza Couture.to ask her a few questions about the looks, the inspiration and the photoshoot on these pages. Director of Photography: Mikey Pozarik You’ve said, “Dresses we dream about can become poetry...” What do you mean by that? My interest in poetry dominated the start of my higher education. I have always loved to write, and it is still something I really enjoy doing. I think a beautiful dress possesses the same qualities of a lovely poem, or a good story. I often think of my clothes as another form of storytelling. For example, each garment in a collection portrays a character, and behind that character is a story. What motivates you? There’s a lot of competition, and very few individuals are able to make a living doing their own lines. How do you courageously create in that environment? I’m not going to say it’s easy, because that would be untrue. It is an incredibly competitive industry, especially because what I do is considered unconventional. For me, designing clothes is my outlet for expressing an artistic vision. I think of the pieces I create as wearable sculptures. I have learned that it is important to balance art with pieces that are “wearable” in an everyday context. This has been a challenge for me, but I feel that with my current collection, Oceania Etherea (a conceptual collection inspired by the idea of birds living at the bottom of the ocean), I’m headed in the right direction. In creating for Papusza I feel that I am creating my own little world or subculture. This world adheres to my dreamers’ reality, and in doing so I feel an incredible sense of fulfillment. Designing really drives me, and I don’t know what else would make me feel so happy and alive. How much of your personal past do you feel influences your design and in what way. My design is strongly influenced by my personal past. My love of anthropology, archeology and natural history dominates my pieces. I think having spent years studying these components has shaped a lot of what I do as an artist. In addition, it has always been very important for me to be creative and think outside of the box, which is one of my main objectives. I have always really loved dark morbid art, and I think this shines through in my own work. My design is an important outlet and a voice for feelings that others might see as “dark”. I think the use of darkness to create beauty is one of my strengths as an artist and designer.
“I like to mix feminine organic elements, like feathers, earth tones and fabrics that flow with street pieces�
You recently shot the Alice and Wonderland tea party with Mikey Pozarik. Tell me more about the ideas behind the shoot and how your pieces allign with the Lewis Carroll story. I LOVED working on the shoot with Mikey, and the rest of the team. There was a lot of talent contributing to the magic of the shoot that day. I really appreciated everyone’s willingness to fully commit to the concept, and make it a reality. When Mikey initially contacted me about the shoot I was very excited, as I have always been very keen on both Carroll’s Alice and Through the Looking Glass. After meeting Mikey, and seeing the shoot location, I was filled with ideas, and wanted to bring an element of magical realism, or even fantasy, into the shoot. Together Mikey and I decided it was important to develop characters within the shoot, for each look and each model. I decided to work within colors as the defining factor of each “personality”. Pink was the playful little girl, the sweet one. The dress she wore is called “Neopolitan Cupcake,” which is pink, black and white, mostly tulle, and very sweet looking. She played the “ Alice” in the shoot. The model wearing mostly green was the “evil” character. She wore a hand dyed green and black tutu on the bottom, full of shape, and very strong and bold. On top she wore a very low v-neck wave-pleated top, which I hand-dyed in patterns that look like waves. I found a cool old bottle, to use as a prop and wrote DRINK ME on in big red letters, to mimic the bottle from the original story. The model in beautiful blue millinery made by Velvet Antler was the “mad-hatter” bird girl . The dress she wore is one from the Oceania Etherea collection. The gown is entitled “Swan Dive.” It is mostly blue tulle, with shantung silk swan head panels creating the bust and running down the front of the dress. This model’s prop was a bird cage with a face, a variation on the Cheshire Cat. I thought the face on the cage was prevalent in bringing the aspect of personification to the shoot, which is a very important part of the original Alice in Wonderland. The fourth model wore earth tones, and I liked the idea of her being the one grounding the others, reminding them of the non-wonderland world outside their tea party. She wore a corset made of acid washed Italian leather, seagull feathers, reclaimed rabbit fur, and bird bone button weights. Her skirt was made of reclaimed fur, and I created a bustle on the back using seagull wings found on the Oregon coast.
“I was filled with ideas, and wanted to bring an element of magical realism, or even fantasy, into the shoot.�
How do you describe your own personal style? Do you have a style icon or someone who you look up to? I would describe my own personal style as being punk-rock, bohemian, art nouveau girl. I like to mix feminine organic elements, like feathers, earth tones and fabrics that flow with street pieces, like motorcycle boots, leather, chains, studs, neon tights, and loud colorful textiles. I really like to rework vintage pieces, or wear handmade looks by either myself or other designers I know. Bjork is my favorite female icon, and David Bowie my favorite male. I admire them for more reasons then style alone, but think they both convey a strong statement, and this is a huge part in their identity as artists. I think it is important for artists not to be afraid to present themselves as thinking outside of the box, which is why Bowie and Bjork have always been favorites of mine.
Are you working on a spring 2010 collection and what are you thinking about, what’s going through your mind when we talk about spring? Actually I’m planning on taking a bit of a hiatus for the spring, and spending more time focusing on other art. I need to spend sometime renewing my creative and emotional energies before I feel ready to take on any huge new projects, like creating a new collection. I plan to have a NY debut show for the Oceania Etherea collection at some point in the spring. Additionally, I am already thinking of my F/W 2010 collection. I plan to go back to the Pacific NW for a long chunk of the time over the winter to further develop the concept behind this upcoming collection. Is there anything I haven’t asked you about, but you’d like to share? People who are interested in my work should follow my blog to stay tuned in to all my adventures and projects. Although I am veering away from embarking upon an entire new collection, in the upcoming months I do have lots of projects, and also plan to do group shows and gallery exhibitions with my Oceania Etherea collection. http://papuszainbirdland.blogspot.com/. In addition to designer, Kaytee Papusza , Above the Fray would like to thank the amazing team that made the photos possible. Photographer: Mikey Pozarik
Secondary stylist assistant: Dina Jennings
www.mikeypozarik.com Head hair stylist: Bronnie Davis
Makeup Artist: Mia Bauman
Models: Rebecca Ivy Elizabeth Lana