Political Dress
Against the backdrop of this intrepid greyness of the socialist nation, a certain "underground" style flourished. Young people craved self-expression, they wanted to dress like other young people in New York, London, Paris. Which is why scoring and sewing clothing in Poland was an extreme sport practiced by thousands of young people. But it was worth it - to be elegant and fashionable was the word on the street. Spontaneously, fashion became an expression of independent ideologies, negating Poland's 'here and now'.
The Heroes of Political Dress
Political Dress shares the experiences of those who were singled out as ideological 'saboteurs' by the socialist authorities. The documentary presents the stories and opinions of stylish personalities of the day, including photographer Tadeusz Rolke, designer Barbara Hoff, the writer Janusz Głowacki, "Biba" fashion founder Barbara Hulanicki, musician Tomek Lipiński and contemporary painter Wilhelm Sasnal.
- Barbara Hulanicki
The Polish-born designer founded the extremely successful Biba brand in London. The label began as a mail-order design business in the early '60s that offered young women stylish clothing at an accessible price. Following a big fashion editorial in a popular daily newspaper, the brand took off and Hulanicki, with the support of her husband Stephen Fitz-Simon opened up a shop in Kensington in 1964, offering its iconic pieces to retail customers. The brand continued to be popular until 1975, when Hulanicki left the company. In 2009 the brand was relaunched by the House of Fraser, with prices much higher than the Biba tradition. Today Hulanicki creates collections for popular brands Topshop and Asda. She also runs a successful interior design business.
- Barbara Hoff
Hoff was the first Polish entrepreneur to establish a brand in Poland under the designer's own name. In a time of shortages, she offered women a variety of stylish options in the 1980s in Warsaw's only department store. Her collections were a hit, providing a splash of designer glamour amid the drab of what was generally offered in shops. Hoff began her career as a fashion editor, reporting on world trends for the highbrow Przekrój weekly. She is credited for exposing women stuck behind the Iron Curtain with a glimpse at the cosmopolitan world of New York and Parisian glamour - often earning a rebuke from the socialist authorities.
- Ania Kuczyńska
As one of the most well-known names in contemporary Polish fashion, Kuczyńska creates simple pieces in quality fabrics and a perchance dash of vibrant colour amid the blacks, whites and greys. Her clothes are appreciated by both the celebrity ranks, as well as everyday women. She has a flagship boutique on Warsaw's fashion strip, ul. Mokotowska, selling her wares in a stylish, minimalist setting. She's been featured in all major fashion magazines in Poland, along with several articles and editorials in global titles like Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar.
- Wojciech Plewiński
Wojciech Plewiński, a student of Architecture, decided to become a professional photographer. He moved from his native Warsaw to Kraków in 1948 where he completed his studies. During the fall of 1956, thanks to the help of Barbara Hoff at the Przekroj weekly, Plewiński ended up getting involved with the magazine and continued to collaborate with the title for over four decades. He was known for the hundreds of famous "kitten" shots of beautiful girls for the front cover. A few years later he took up theatre photography and shot nearly seven hundred plays. He also photographed musicians, authors, painters and reportages.
- Tadeusz Rolke
Photographer known for his photographs of wartime Warsaw and inspired images of cultural life in post-war Poland and Germany. Sentenced to 7 years for "participation to an illegal organisation and for keeping illegal materials from the embassy", Rolke was released prematurely thanks to an amnesty. The blemish on his record barred him from continuing his education so he leaned once again in the direction of photography. He also began cooperating with popular press titles and was hired as a staff photographer at Stolica in 1956, responsible for documenting, among other things, the historic rally of Gomułka. He began shooting fashion spreads for Przekrój, where he joined fellow photographers Marek Holzman and Irena Jarosińska, as well as Eustachy Kossakowski, a close friend. He brought intriguing perspectives to every image he captured, transforming the everyday into something entirely new.
- Wilhelm Sasnal
Painter, illustrator and comic strip artist of the young generation. Wilhelm Sasnal studied architecture at the Kraków University of Technology in 1992-1994, and in 1994-1999 painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (diploma under prof. Leszek Misiak). He is a co-founder of the now non-existent artistic group Ładnie and has long been associated with the Foksal Gallery Foundation in Warsaw. Considered by many critics a leading painter of his generation, Wilhelm Sasnal claims that the choice of what he paints is most important for him, and he chooses themes to which he has an emotional relationship. His artistic choices are consequences of attentive observation of his nearest surroundings. The essential issues that continue to interest Sasnal are the limits and possibilities of representation and the examining of the process of seeing and perceiving.
Political Dress
Production: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, 2011.
Direction: Judyta Fibiger, Screenplay: Judyta Fibiger, Ewa Olbrychska
The film is part of the Guide to the Poles series of documentary films produced within the framework of the International Cultural Programme of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council in 2011
