Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Papusza Stain/Limbs Pop-up Shop in San Francisco Tomorrow at What It Is... SFC Studios


Hey everyone! Come support local and do some holiday shopping tomorrow at Papusza friend What It Is... SFC Studios in the Outer Sunset on the SE corner of Judah and La Playa. I'll be selling my Papusza Limbs at their special $20 holiday sale price, as well as pieces from my Papusza Stain Lingerie collection. You can take the N MUNI right there!

And after you enjoy your shopping you can op over the dunes and spend some time chilling on the beach and looking at the beautiful ocean. The forecast tomorrow is warm, clear and sunny-don't miss out! Get some great last minute gifts for the holidays (or a little sexy splurge for yourself!) and some beautiful sunshine while you are at it ♥

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Hand Painted Papusza Limbs Now Available and Holiday Sale


I am now selling hand painted Papusza Limbs on my etsy. Normally they are $40 a pair, but if you order them before December 24th they are on sale for only $35! They make great Christmas gifts, especially for the stylish ladies in your life. These beautiful hand painted stockings are available in 2 sizes and over 50 colors combinations. Please see more details via the etsy link above, and feel free to inquire for more details to kaytee@papuszacouture.com.

Also, don't miss out on my special holiday sale for all my other Limbs. Normally $28 they are on sale through the holidays for only $20 a pair.

If you are looking to keep your hands warm in a stylish way I just added a variety of beautiful gloves to my etsy, and I will be adding many more in the upcoming days. These stylish, hand painted, hand dyed upcycled gloves will keep your fingers warm and your outfit smoking hot.



Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Papusza Couture Tarot Card Dress Photos by Ali Scarpulla in Black and White

I love these photos SOOOOO much. From a beautiful shoot I did with Ali Scarpulla of my Tarot Card Dresses in NY. See more photos from the same shoot here. Models are lovely Emily Theobald and Mika Mae Jones.




Thursday, December 8, 2011

Papusza Couture for Panic! At The Disco "Get Me Out Of My Mind" Trailer

Last year I had the privilege of costuming the ladies in film "Get Me Out Of My Mind" about band Panic! At The Disco by brilliant artist/film maker Brian Gonzalez/Taxiplasm. Have a sneak peak at the trailer below, and stay tuned for details on the release of the full production...

P! trailer from brian gonzalez / TAXIPLASM on Vimeo.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Papusza Limbs Holiday Sale!!!


Looking for stocking stuffers for the fun fabulous ladies in your life? Then why not opt for some beautiful, hand-dyed, cozy tights, available in 5 different colors and 3 different dye patterns? Thick and cozy, nylon-lycra tights are sure to spice up any girls stocking drawer, and put a playful and unique spice into all her favorite winter ensembles. If it couldn't get better then that these babies are on sale through the holidays for just $20 a pair (normally $28)!!!! What a deal!!! They can be shipped anywhere worldwide.

To place an order at the special $20/pair price or for inquiries please email kaytee@papuszacouture.com. See some available colors and dye pattern options here and additional one of a kind limited edition limbs for sale in images below. Hopefully Papusza can help stuff your stockings with some limbs!!!

Please note: any color and dye pattern from above link can be combined.






Friday, November 25, 2011

Art Basel Miami: Papusza Couture featured in Gemma Fleming's TWINS Exhibition


Those of you who will be in Miami for Basel this year, please be sure to pop by Haired at the Cream Hotel to see the debut of Gemma Fleming's TWINS. The opening reception will be on December 1st from 3-10, but the show will be up through the 4th.

This is a beautiful piece, that we shot almost exactly 2 years ago. I did the costuming for the video, using pieces from Papusza Couture's Oceania Etherea Collection, as well as select pieces from artist/designer/dear friend Mika Mae Jones. I am excited to see the project coming full circle, and finally getting the debut/exposure it deserves. There will be live models/installation for the opening, featuring and costumed in pieces from Papusza Couture's past collections. Gemma will also have a limited addition book available for sale featuring stills from TWINS.

See the teaser below and if you are going to be in Miami for Basel be sure and stop by the opening-it will be well worth your while!

Twins - Teaser from Gemma Fleming on Vimeo.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Papusza Stain on Etsy and Kaytee Papusza featured on All That We've Met

For those of you that don't know I have recently launched an upcycled lingerie line called Papusza Stain. Stain can be purchased online alongside my hand dyed hosiery, Papusza Limbs, on etsy. See one of the beautiful editorials from one of my shoots with the talented Kylie Faye below.

Also, be sure and check out my recent interview on awesome blog All That We've Met if you are curious to know what I have been up to.



Photo by Kylie Faye, Model-Savori Rardin, Hair-MeriEsther Luce, Makeup-Kerrin Birchenough, Textile stencil by Nathan Parriot, Earrings and Hair piece by Nikki Jacoby Jewelry.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Papusza Stain Debut at Lovefest and 1st Thursday

I was happy to have been able to have my new lingerie line Papusza Stain at 2 great events this past week. Last weekend I had a tent, shared with my beautiful friend Amra's dreamy dreamcatchers and jewelry, at Lovefest. This past Thursday I had stuff at the artisans market in Occidental Square for 1st Thursday in Seattle. Both events where a blast! See some pictures below and stay tuned for Papusza Stain stores on etsy and Smashing Darling.






Thursday, July 28, 2011

Life Outside NY Part 4: San Francisco, A Mad Hatters Tea Party

Apologies for my lack in keeping my "Life Outside NY" stories up to date. My summer and fall have been filled with mayhem, which all started during my time in San Francisco, where I was for a while during the end of last Spring. Since then I have undergone many experiences and more travels which have captured a great sense of reflection in myself. I have decided that living in Southern California isn't the right move for me now, but I do plan to continue working in LA, and am seriously considering settling down for a bit in Central Cali, though I feel that my nomadic ways have not yet come to a halt, so this may not fully bloom for awhile.

Over the Spring I spent time staying and working with my dear friend Katie Burley, who is an amazing couture milliner, and was recently featured in the SF Gate and the SF Guardian Sunday Style Section. We created a small lingerie and couture millinery collection called Ligatia Curiosa and showed it at the Supperclub SF. See some photos of the show below courtesy of talented photographer Gideon Roh, and stay tuned for editorials of our collection, also shot by Gideon with muse model Magdalene Veen.

There are many more stories of adventure to be told about my times in SF, but I'll those for close friends and lucky randoms...






Saturday, May 28, 2011

Kaytee Papusza: Featured Artist in Belle Armoire Magazine, Summer 2011 Issue

Papusza is the featured artist in the Summer 2011 Issue of Belle Armoire, with a special focus on current work in progress collection Paramicha. The issue will be available after June 1st. For free shipping pre-order yours today!

Below image from "Paramicha." Couture burka by Katie Burley, photo by Elizabeth Raab, Hair by Ariane Garcia, Makeup by Chris Milone, Model-Anelisa Durham.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Life Outside NY Part 3: Hollywoodland of Lost Angeles



After spending a couple of quiet, nostalgic weeks in Arizona I took a night train to the ocean my heart belongs to; the Pacific. I arrived in LA at dawn, after passing through the surreal windmills of Palm Spring, cookie-cutter Inland Empire suburbanite condos, beautiful broken graffiti painted canals, palm tree urban ruins, creaky morning factories and industrial warehouse spaces. When I arrived in Union Station I felt a calm sense of peace and familiarity that I had missed, being in New York over the years.

My friend Kerstin picked me up from the train station and we went straight to a beach near Santa Monica. We walked along the seaside barefoot, dancing in the waves, the warm wind whipping sand through our hair. As the sky fell down on the water it shimmered a perfect reflection. In seeing the Pacific Ocean I felt overwhelmed by a sense of calm, and remembered that my heart belongs to this sea; a sense of amenity.

Then something amazing happened. Something that has only happened to me at one other time in my life-which was when I was 18 years old, also standing beside the Pacific Ocean (only it was on the Oregon coast the first time it happened). As a stared intently into the fluid, midnight colored sea I saw a smooth, fleshy, rounded back and fin arch up above the surface. It bobbed below and then came back up again about 10 feet away from the first spot, shimmering a brilliant pewter shade in the afternoon sunlight. It was a dolphin. We watched it move across the surface of the sea, lunging up and down, until we couldn't see it anymore. An incredible thing to see, and an omen.

In many Native American tribes the dolphin is a sign of universal harmony, healing, creativity, joy and balance. In Irish history Celts recognized the dolphin as a sign of intelligence, friendship and good luck. In Greek mythology the dolphin is a compatriot of Aphrodite (the goddess of love) and Apollo (the god of sun and light). Universally the dolphin has been celebrated as a sign of good faith. Upon encountering the beauty of that creature swimming through the Pacific in the sun that morning I knew that this was a place I needed to be. I felt at home and that the world was right.

Sure enough the rest of my trip in LA blossomed magically. I had been to LA many times before, in my adolescents, but it never felt like this time. I spent the first couple of days driving around Hollywood with my awesome pal Kerstin, oogling the beautiful old mansions in the hills. Carlo Mancia and Jennifer Clark took me out goth dancing on Sunset. My beautiful sister/muse/darling Mika Jones took me to coffee in Hollywood, and afterwards we strolled down Hollywood Blvd. and walked over the stars. Another dear girlfriend and her pals took me to Venice Beach, which I fell in love with.

A couple of days after my arrival I got to meet my favored author and one of my teenage icons/inspirations, Francesca Lia Block. I have been reading FLB's books since I was 15, and still today they are my favorites. I have a very strong and special connection to her books. I think that the stories she writes have taught me how to express my darkness and heal myself through creating. Many of her stories have saved me, in a sense. In particular "The Hanged Man," was a very special book for me, and I have considered it a favorite since I first read it 11 years ago. I have reread it more times then I can count, and will continue to read it for the rest of my life.

Meeting Francesca was unreal, and I felt an instant kinship to her. I went to her beautiful cottage in Culver City. We sat in the sunlight and spoke of upcoming projects and collaborations. I told her how much her books meant to me, and how inspired I felt. In that afternoon meeting a beautiful thing happened. I was given the opportunity to design a couture collection inspired by my favorite book; The Hanged Man, which will be costuming a fine art film project I will be doing with FLB. I was also given the opportunity to rent a work/live space in her garden, where I will be living starting in September! It is a beautiful space, with high ceilings, tons of space and great light. I am very excited to fill it with my art and couture!

I didn't necessarily expect to fall in love with LA and want to move there, although I guess I'm also really not surprised it happened. One thing I am sure of is that being there reminded me enormously of why I love the West coast. I belong here. You can take the girl outta the West coast, but you can't take the West coast outta the girl. Sometimes she has to come back. Especially for opportunities that are also dreams, becoming real and tangible right in front of me. If you can dream it, you can do it.

I am sad to leave New York, but happy to know I will always be able to return to that brilliant, maddening, incredible Gotham city. More on that later though. I'll be back to New York to say goodbye for real before I land permanently in LA. In the meantime stay posted for my adventures in San Francisco, including a collaborative collection with Katie Burley, and then look for notes about my upcoming summer in Seattle, including a metalware collaborative collection with Nicholas Goodwin.

Photos below by Thomas Chesnot.



Sunday, May 8, 2011

Life Outside NY Part 2: Arizona; the Quietest Place on Earth

As many of you know I have been traveling around the country for the past couple of months. I have fallen behind on my blog updates about my experiences, and have a little catching up to do. I left New York to go traveling mid February. The first stop was Austin, where I enjoyed myself at South by Southwest music festival. You can read a little bit about that experience here.

After my time in Austin I took the train from there to Tucson, Arizona. I lived in Tucson for a couple of years when I first started college. I had not been back to visit since I left and was happy to return to my old stomping ground and see some amazing old friends.

While I was there the 4th Avenue Street Fair was happening. Talented hooper Zoe Rae and I dressed up in crazy Day of the Dead inspired ensembles and made an appearance at the Fair, with a portable store to sell some of my hand dyed tights. We had quite an interesting experience, and where certainly one of the most exciting looking duo's at the fair. My beautiful hat and skirt where made by dear friend and amazing designer Cynthia Smith. See some beautiful photos below taken by Jessica Castillo documenting the adventurous afternoon...






Monday, May 2, 2011

Ligatia Curiosa at the supperclub SF, May 6th

Katie Burley and Papusza Couture collaborate to make magic again!

After having collaborated on the installation “Siku” at the Scope International Art Fair and work in progress collection “Paramicha” Katie Burley and Papusza Couture collaborate again, making even more magic!

Friday, May 6th come to the Bondage Dinner at the supperclub SF and enjoy “Ligatia Curiosa”-the 2 artists conjoint new collection. Ligatia Curiosa features head pieces, lingerie, bondage wear, and beyond made using taxidermy and bones, inspired by mythical creatures. Enjoy and encounter a fashionable Cyclops or two, a caged Unicorn, conjoined fox and coyote faces fighting at the heart and much, much more. The things that you see will be sure to leave your mind filled with awe and inspiration; whirling with curiosity.

Make reservations here. Also, if you make your reservations before Wednesday you will receive a glass of FREE champagne and mention on Sexploration with Monika!!! Find more info here.

We hope to see you there. If you are not in SF be sure to spread the word about the show to your friends that are in the Bay!!! Those who attend will be in for a strange and otherworldly feast for the eyes.

Be sure to like Katie Burley Couture Millinery and Papusza Couture on facebook!

Work from the designers past collections:

Photo by Elizabeth Raab

Photo by Shannon Cahill

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Papusza Couture Design for Laura Milkin's Walking Home Project

As many of you know I am currently traveling across the United States working on several nomad inspired projects-Paramicha and Nomadsland. As you can imagine I have met many amazing travelers along the way.

In my expedition I was thrilled to meet multi-media interactive performance artist Laura Milkins, who is currently working on the inspiring and compelling Walking Home: stories from the desert to the Great Lakes project. Starting on May 1st Laura will be walking 2000 miles from Tucson, AZ. to Grand Rapids, MI., where she grew up and where her family lives. She will be streaming live online 24/7, and along the way she will be walking and staying with people from all the places she passes through. She will not only be documenting her experience, but she will also be documenting the interesting stories of those she encounters.

I was thrilled when a mutual friend put me in touch with her, and felt inspired by the kindred free spiritedness of her adventure-especially in it being so congruent with my own cross country journey. As part of her travels Laura has asked 3 designers, including myself, to design pieces for her to wear as she walks. I am very excited about the project, and will be designing her a kimono jacket and storytelling dress. Please stay tuned for pictures in the upcoming weeks.

In the meantime show your support to Laura by pledging to Walking Home on Kickstarter (and get some awesome goodies if you are a backer) and liking the Walking Home page on facebook. Also, look for a blog in the upcoming weeks that includes shots of my pieces for Laura, and in May follow her live stream to see her walking Northbound through the desert in Papusza.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

LA: Papusza Couture Trunk Show hosted by Francesca Lia Block!

Inspired by the beauty of the free spirit, come and shop Papusza Couture's Spring/Summer demi collection, Nomadsland. Get great prices and first dibs on fun, one of a kind, handmade dresses, shorts, vests, collars, tops-all made from unique fair trade ethnic fabrics collected from cultures around the world-and hand painted tights. You will also find great prices on hand-dyed Papusza LIMB tights, reworked vintage slips and antique hand painted leather gloves from Papusza's series, Stain. Don't miss out on these beautiful and unique pieces that will be sure to bring a spirited splash to your wardrobe!!!

This trunk show will be hosted by Papusza's favored author Francesca Lia Block. FLB books will be for sale for good prices too!!!

RSVP here and please forward this invite to all your Los Angeles based friends!!!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Papusza Feature on HerHattanNYC and Spring Sale on LIMBS!!!!

Have a look at the fabulous feature that HerHattan NYC did on Papusza Art Couture. You can read a bit about my current collection, Paramicha, and also find out a bit more about where my art comes from.

Also, I will be doing a Spring Sale on LIMBS starting today, through April 15th, or while supplies last. I have almost every color available, and will be adding a few new ones in the upcoming week including brown, black and wine. Normally they are $28 a pair, but will be available through the 15th for $20 a pair or 2 for $35. They are a very stylish way to transition into your Spring wardrobe, if you are still struggling with chilly winter weather.


Photo by Gemma Fleming

For inquiries please email me at kaytee@papuszacouture.com.

One of a kind limited edition hand painted LIMBS, and other lingerie goodies, will be for sale soon on both my Etsy and Smashing Darling. Stay tuned for these fun, exciting colorful goodies-ideal for the upcoming seasons!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Life Outside NY Part 1: Austin and SXSW

As many of you know I am on a bit of a leave from New York for a few months. After doing nearly a dozen shows in less then a 6 month period, moving from Brooklyn into Manhattan and barely ever getting to leave the city for things other then work I decided it was time for a break. I have been living in the big apple now for about 4 years, and although I love it enormously I have gotten so caught up in the hustle and bustle of existing there that I had forgotten what life outside New York was like. I am happy to report that the escape has been awakening and I am happy to be on this trip.

My first stop was Austin, where I spent a little more then a month. Got to make some art with my dear friend and associate Desideria Adame and spend some fun times in the great little city of ATX. It was quite a charming place and I will definitely be returning.

The finale week of the trip was South by Southwest, one of the many great film and music festivals in Austin. I saw a ton of awesome bands-my favorite the "Japanese Action Comic Punk" band Peelander-Z. I also got to see a ton of great friends who where visiting for or playing at the festival-a couple of which I hadn't seen in over a year. One of the highlights was taking a ride on a giant mustache seasaw.

See photos of some of my favorite moments below. Stay tuned for more on my adventures of life outside the big city.

Peelander-Z

Moustache Seasaw

My besties!!!!



Hand painted kid leather gloves I made.