Translated material
Seven autumn days
Fashion Week in Moscow
As usual, Moscow was one of the last to lift the veil of secrecy before the trends and current novelties of the fall-winter 2007/08 fashion season. The series of shows at Gostiny Dvor began on March 23, the last fashion show will take place today.“We are actively working to ensure that Moscow takes its rightful place among the world's fashion capitals. I am confident that the development of the fashion industry in Russia has already reached a level where we can compete with our Western colleagues,” says Evgeniy Yashchuk, General Director of Moscow Fashion Week. As before, the Artes Cultural Foundation carries out marketing communications for the event jointly with the IMG company.
This year, Russians had the opportunity to watch the events on the catwalks of Gostiny Dvor live on the World Fashion Channel, an international TV channel about fashion. “Even the world’s main fashion capitals – New York, London, Milan, Paris – cannot boast of live television broadcasts from their Weeks,” emphasized Dmitry Goryachkin, vice president of IMG in Russia and the CIS.
The show of Valentin Yudashkin's pret-a-porte de luxe collection, as always, topped the Week's schedule. In the ready-to-wear collection for the fall-winter 2007/08 season, the designer used elements of the “couture” collection of the previous season: oriental motifs - free quotes from the film masterpieces of Wong Kar-wai. Muted pale blue, olive, honey-yellow shades are colored by sparkling highlights of the metal fittings of handbags, fashionable wide belts and long gloves. Velvet, taffeta, openwork lace, sparkling jersey lamé, sequins and rhinestones - the invariable Russian accent of each Yudashkin collection. Current elements of retrofuturism of the 60s and the sporty style of the 80s are interspersed with formal suits and feminine dresses, so popular among compatriots. The men's clothing line includes both classic business suits and bold youth ensembles: short coats with bright leather belts and knitted cardigans with zippers - a nod to Monsieur Cardin. The demonstration of the collection of the number one Russian fashion designer took place to the accompaniment of a quartet of DJs - a meaningless but spectacular luxury, the show was completed by a fireworks display of golden sparkles.
The business trend - collaboration between famous fashion designers and brands from the mass market category - has not bypassed Russian designers. Valentin Yudashkin created a small elegant handbag for the Swedish brand of inexpensive cosmetics Oriflame, the design duo “Two Torn Towers” became friends with the Megafon company. All items from the MegaPolis-926 youth clothing collection are united by prints of fragments of a city map and an ornament of three numbers made in ligature. In the coming season, designers prefer men's and women's Ali-Baba trousers to all other styles, and silver to all other colors. This is in addition to the sponsor's signature colors - green, white and purple.
Victoria Andreyanova dedicated her next collection... to a dog named Dusya - a charming Yorkshire terrier, the pet of the designer's friend, TV presenter Svetlana Connegen. Doooosya is a collection-poem about how a cloudy and gray day, embodied in a dark blue drape, raincoat and gray tweed, becomes brighter from the snow-white, tender, like satin, love and devotion of a little friend. Speaking in prose, knitted and satin dresses with prints of bones, dog paw prints, and touching photographs of our little brothers are simple and elegant, like everything that Victoria Andreyanova does. Faux fur used as trim for dresses, coats and funny mittens once again proves: this collection is a friend of man and the environment.
The collection of Alexander Terekhov, already shown at New York Fashion Week, has finally reached Moscow. In just a few years, the young graduate of the Institute of Design and Fashion has developed an original creative style, from which he does not deviate one iota. The next Terexov collection consists of monotonous satin and knitted dresses so beloved by the designer, only some of them are decorated with lush frill bows and appliqués made of crumpled fabric. Only double-breasted raincoats and loose coat-robes remind of the autumn-winter purpose. Everything ingenious is simple, at least this season.
Daria Razumikhina again took up the ethnic theme begun in previous collections. Asian ornaments and elements of the national costume of the peoples of the North flourished on straight-cut skirts and balloon coats, knitted sweaters were decorated with somewhat excessive embroidery, and stylish bags and briefcases made of thick felt complemented the looks.
The favorite of modern noble maidens, Oleg Biryukov, abandoned his favorite palette of all shades of gray and chocolate in favor of black and white, scarlet and golden bronze. The collection is based on the famous dress - winner of the national competition “Dress of the Year” in 1998; next season it will be exactly ten years old. A book by Lewis Carroll or a cute laptop will be an equally successful accessory to sundresses with one strap and fitted dresses with a high waist. Spacious capes, a jacket made of black silky jacquard and a coat with puffy sleeves will certainly be a joyful reason to quickly return from vacation to the golden autumn.