In the middle of a sunny day, in Łazienki Królewskie, a place full of history, the beauty of art, and the majesty of people who once strolled down those paths, Maciej Zień held a fashion show. It was a kind of sentimental journey to the past, because twenty years ago, Zień organised his first professional show at the very same venue. Today, he returned there, a little less stressed, with twenty years of experience and a recognisable name, to present a collection which is the essence of his style, aesthetics, and everything he had created throughout his career.
It is no surprise that the collection revolved around women. Maciej Zień designs for women, who are the start and the end of each of his collections. The catwalk was dominated by dresses. Other outfits included suits for contemporary businesswomen, a denim jumpsuit, which was a departure from the official character of the collection, and capes to finish off the outfits.
The strongest point of the collection are fabrics, carefully selected by the designer with attention to every little detail. It is a great skill, which has probably contributed to the tremendous success of his dresses. Rich ornamentation, prints, embroidery, glitter, and appliqué designs are Zień’s speciality. They add character to his dresses and make them stand out in the crowd. Muslin, silk, jacquard, velour, and quality wool are Zień’s favourite fabrics; the designer perfectly knows how to use them to achieve the desired effect.
However, Zień’s autumn and winter collection poses something of a paradox. Among the dresses with quality fabrics and unique ornamentation, which show the designer’s talent for draping, structuring, and highlighting what should be highlighted, there are also some more ordinary models. These are more like designs that can be found in good chain stores, at proms, or at weddings. Not enough for royal palaces. Luckily, these are only individual cases, inconspicuous among other beautiful and one-of-a-kind models.
The greatest asset of the designer is his style, which can be recognised right away without a label. It is a huge success but also a curse, which can lead to rehashing old ideas. The venue, time, live music, and beautiful surroundings full of art were a nice surprise and a breath of fresh air worthy of Paris shows. The fabrics and the designs enraptured the crowd and offset those inconspicuous models in which something was missing. Perhaps it was a factor which would make the crowd go into raptures although the venue required self-restraint and composure.
The collection is entitled ‘MOJO’, which means amulet, talisman, and talent. The latter cannot be denied as Maciej Zień has proved for twenty years that he is cut out for the catwalk. Hopefully, this talisman will give him new energy and spur him to a revolution, which will surprise us at his next equally beautiful show.
