NYC - Polish-born  K A R O L I N A   Z M A R L A K takes the view that fashion is not a firm absolute, but a fluid, plastic indeterminate realm which can be altered, either partially or wholly, by the consciousness of the perceiver. Her fashion is a fascinating play on subjective speculation while her design approach is unequivocally that of a masterful technician.

Employing haute couture concepts of the fold, precise draping and disciplined calculation, Karolina’s technique reflects something she calls “recombinant design.” With a background in pattern-construction and an obsession with all things Cristobal Balenciaga, she has been an apt student of the Master’s austere tailoring and divine proportionality. Her intriguing garments exhibit non-linear patterns and skewed-geometrics made precisely for dynamic and interpretative wearability. The result: a cerebral, architectural style that is at once romantic and cool - with intense transitional qualities.

Her most recent collection (Fall ‘09) is entitled ‘Fluid Foundations’ and is all about extreme metamorphosis. The range includes a reversible Oviedo Jacket fashioned from organic and synthetic blends that can be worn as a simple wrap-trench or can be transformed into a drapey, cocoon-like frock with asymmetric dimensions. With conceptual and intellectual rigor, her numerous pieces challenge conventional notions of silhouette, as such, and express alternative deciphering of the body.

Another enthralling piece is the Lugo Trouser that is inspired by active wear and incorporates the latest in material engineering. The casual yet glam pants (above) are made from sleek and stretchy micro-fiber and lined with power net seams to retain shape and structure. These looks are sculptural, feminine and versatile and can be layered beneath or brandished as outerwear - and are perfect for impromptu mixing and matching. The color palettes and finishes are wide ranging and Karolina brilliantly combines neutrals and darks with exuberant polychromy.

Karolina’s clothes allow for variegated combinations and alterations. The designer argues that the collection’s underpinnings are fundamentally about “polymorphism, plurality and free-style eclecticism.” There are trappings of post-modernity here in which the body, categories, and time/space are broken into ‘subjective’ pieces and recombined elements. This is her intention - to express a conception of the female body as unfinished and de-centered in time and space, and signifies the ambiguity of subjects by resisting distinct categories of identity. Karolina’s clothes refuse a ‘motif of permanence’ and are indeed fluid, beautiful and highly intellectual.

The body enveloped in Karolina’s recombinant pieces expresses neither individualism nor collective identity, but something in between. Her work is a type of non-conformist polemic against orthodox ready-to-wear. In contradistinction to mainstream design, her aesthetic reflects a subjectivity that grasps itself as a unique and singular combination of chance events, rather than a proscribed and predictable ‘fixed style.’ Without being trite, Karolina Zmarlak’s pieces are timeless, heterodox and open-ended (the clothes are made to fit one size, by the way!). Her craftsmanship is flawless and each piece is meticulously constructed with gorgeous finishes giving rise to a kind of ‘perpetual novelty.’

Karolina, who was educated at FIT and apprenticed under Carolina Herrera, lives full-time in NYC and works out of her Chelsea atelier. She recently showed her collection in NYC‘s Chelsea Gallery District.

Her Fall ‘09 RTW collections are available in NYC at Debut, Takashimayaand Eva. Price range: $200-$2000

For enquiries, contact Ms. Zmarlak at: info@karolinazmarlak.com

www.karolinazmarlak.com

-Cody Ross (cody@priestessnyc.com)