Local designer Joanna Kulpa aims to help us pull our
wardrobes together with signature pieces like the kicky buttoned-and-belted
Sea, which can be a tunic top or a minidress.
The same key pieces that make a wardrobe functional and fashionable
are often the milestone pieces in a fashion designer’s collection
each season. Joanna Kulpa, who officially launched her first collection
with a holiday line this past winter, starts from this premise. Her
designs stem in part from her own thoughts on dressing: “I keep
things for a long time, and I like to think of my collections the same
way. I definitely want to make durable clothes with longevity.” Sounds
practical enough, and the clothes prove her commitment.
Joanna
and I sit in her new studio, sun pouring in from the
skylight. But we aren’t in Yaletown. The 38-years-and-counting denturist
across the hall belies our true location at Hastings
and Carrall. The clothes and the shows may have the glamour, but much
of what is created
has its roots in a lot of sacrifice and the requisite
amount of hard work.
Kulpa graduated from George Brown College seven years ago and says
she wishes that the program had focused a bit more on
the business side of things and on building a portfolio. Yet, for someone
whose newly
launched line can be found across Canada, either the
business side is a natural instinct or the clothes are selling themselves.
The designer’s
self-named line (www.kulpa.ca) can already be found in
Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal. It’s the little
collection that could.
Kulpa’s spring/summer collection consists of five bedrock pieces:
gauchos, the shrunken blazer, a skirt, a sleeveless top, and a tunic/minidress.
In Kulpa’s view, the pieces are “made to integrate well
into an existing wardrobe…they are the pieces that will make you
fashionable and pull together the rest of your closet”.
Each piece is named and adheres to a strictly cool palette of grey,
sea-foam blue, white, and black. Stone, the grey-cotton gaucho ($130),
fits like a trouser-short with a conservative flare at the knee. Thin
satin strings that tie at the belt dress up the piece.
Match them with Cool, Kulpa’s fitted white blazer ($170). It
is fully lined with fashion details such as a very high waist in back
that releases a touch of ruffle. Look at the inner side of the elbows
and find a small pin tuck that creates a flare at the cuff. Kulpa has
used carpet-binding detailing on the back waistband and on the shoulders
for a subtle military reference. The piece is elegant when matched with
the gauchos, yet fashion-funky with jeans. Just to go on a bit more
about this jacket (a truly good-fitting blazer is so difficult to find),
the fabric has just a slight stretch to it for comfort. The carpet binding
and high-waist detail in the back sit snugly and add structure. According
to Kulpa, these are “clothes that you feel good in, it sits well
on your shoulders and body”.
Breeze is a gathered skirt ($110), but only slightly so. About a dozen
pin tucks create subtle movement on this basically A-line skirt. More
girlie than feminine, it falls just above the knee and comes in a white
layered cotton. Sand is the matching top ($80), a sleeveless U-neck
and very straightforward except for the slight lift at the neck and
the linen detailing at the armholes. These are the types of elements
that give a simple white tank a bit of fashion life. Kulpa’s signature
piece is Sea, a tunic top or minidress ($130), depending on your mood.
It is the one piece to digress from the basically neutral palette and
comes in a sea-foam blue. Ruching inside the elbows flares out the champagne-cut
sleeves, and white button detailing on the right shoulder give this
essentially boatneck fleece some kick. The satin ribbon belt is removable
and dresses it up a notch.
It’s a tasteful collection made for work and play. Each piece
stands on its own or works well with its comrades. And all of it works
with the ubiquitous jean. Find it at Liquid (2050 West 4th Avenue) right
now, and watch for the upcoming autumn/winter pieces at both Lark (152
East 8th Avenue) and You and Whose Army? (929 Denman Street). Just think:
if these five simple pieces are strong enough to compose an entire collection,
what could they do for your wardrobe?
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