Ukrainian Fashion - Mar. 28, 2007

Shop for the latest fashions at Ukrainian designer stores.

Springtime has finally begun, and as I look at the fresh green grass, pale buds on the trees, and the long-awaited shining sun, I can’t help but feel somewhat jealous of the scenery, dressing in its whole new, fresh getup. But just as the trees put on their new digs, something fresh appears in the boutiques as well, to help Kyiv’s fashionable boys and girls put together their own, new spring wardrobes. At Ukrainian designer stores, you can find outfits that will help you keep up-to-date and in vogue with the latest styles, as well as find yourself a new look in line with the changing of the seasons.

Staying trendy

World famous designers dedicate their creations this season to the people who embody “spring:” young, optimistic, fresh, ready to experiment, dreaming about their sparkling future and eagerly colouring the present. The ideas are taken from popular trends of the 60s, 70s and 80s and altered to create a new image.

From the 60s, the age of hippie philosophy, Alexander McQueen, Anna Sui, and Valentino, take soft fabrics, which tenderly outline the silhouette, flower patterns and huge prints, to accentuate femininity. The colours are also calm and soft, as if taken straight from nature. Their feminine approach borders on the romanticism that was so popular during the 80s and was known then as the “New Romantic.”

The trends of English romanticism are also visible in the designs on the dresses of Burberry and Giles, with bouffant skirts, twists of tulle and voile, and pastel colors. Giorgio Armani and Mark Jacobs advise you to combine this style with ultra modern hairdos – making the look eclectic. The image of the “romantic” lady on the catwalk is combined with a baby doll theme. Youth style uses more innocent hues, as seen in the collections by Prada and Chloe, who bring short, slim, and colorful dresses back in fashion.

Those who prefer sporty styles should pay attention to the sport glamour trend: shorts, t-shirts, tops, and hoodies that are combined with chic, expensive fabric (Jean Paul Gaultier, Dries Van Noten). Another fashion theme takes us “back to nature.” Givenchy, Miu Miu and Pollini-Rifat Ozbek combine ethnic graphics and animal skin prints with fringing, batik and feathers. The embroidery used by Chloe, Emma Cook and Mark Jacobs incorporates ethnic themes and romanticism, and mixes natural simplicity with refined elegance.

Juxtaposed next to the diversity of colors born in the flower-power era is a monochrome trend. If you decide to be clothed from head to toe in blue, red, or any other color of your choice, it will no longer be considered a crime against fashion, but a sign that you are in on the latest styles. The favorite colors for monochrome outfits this season are black, white, yellow, powdery pink, mauve, and putty. To the monochrome sets we can also add graphic black-and-white prints (that haven’t lost their popularity since the 80s), stripes and silhouettes (Gareth Pugh, Jasper Conran and Christian Lacroix). Yet the hit color of the season is considered to be ultramarine, which was prominent in the collections by Alberta Ferretti, Ashley Isham, Jean Paul Gaultier, Julien Macdonald and Kenzo.

Inspired by the aesthetics of “Barbarella,” “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” and “Terminator,” designers have brought to life their own fantasies of a shiny future. Gleaming silver fabrics, also popular in the 70s, metal, sci-fi creations and space-age jewellery were presented by Dolce & Gabbana, Lanvin and Yohji Yamamoto. As for shoes, on the peak of popularity are 70s-style platform shoes, decorated with metal, gems or flowers – elements seen in clothing trends as well. Bags also follow the cosmic theme, as well as the more natural animalistic themes by using reptile skins as material.

Feminine Fashion

Designer Victoria Gres added some couture pieces to her latest ready-to-wear collection. (Konstantin Klimenko)

While Kyiv can hardly be considered a fashion capital like Milan, Paris, London, and New York, it still boasts its own vogue fashion show, Ukrainian Fashion Week, which helps popularize the local designers among Ukraine’s fashionistas. Buying clothes by Ukrainian designers has become popular among Ukraine’s celebrities and is now considered a fashion in itself, deriving from the popular slogan: “Buy Ukrainian.” Fortunately, the prices of the clothing are not that high, though that also shows in the quality of the fabrics used. This is understandable, since our designers can’t afford the huge expenses that come with the manufacture of exclusive fabric. In any case, the quality of some designer jeans wear is quite appropriate and is a bit pricier than those from the popular Miss Sixty and Mexx brands. For example, the most popular form-fitting jeans cost at the lowest Hr 1,500 (Victoria Gres) or Hr 1,800 (Larysa Kyslenko) – some Hr 300 to Hr 500 more than in the boutiques of popular Western brands.

The latest Fashion Week took place from March 14 to March 21, presenting the autumn-winter 2007 collection of Ukraine’s trendsetters. But, right now we’re mostly interested in their view of the outfits for spring and summer. In their spring-summer collections, Ukrainian designers have demonstrated that they work in line with famous foreign brands, sometimes introducing their own ideas and sometimes plagiarising the ideas of others. As usual, the designers present more practical fashions, giving the clients a chance to wear them more often then just once a year or on special occasions.

In the collection by Anisimov, the cream-colored short dresses and skirts are smartly combined with light ruffle layers and satin strips that add romanticism to the style. There’s no variety of colors though – the only bright element amid the black and creamy being gem-encrusted necklaces.

Victoria Gres presented two collections – Victoria Gres Denim and Victoria Gres by Gres. The first collection concentrates on denim, cigarette-style jeans, combined with romantic jabot blouses and ruffled scarves. The dresses and jackets by Victoria Gres are decorated with small flower prints and heart-shaped accessories. In the second collection by Gres, the cream-colored outfits are embellished with embroidery, lace, and soft and smooth fabric all mixed-up to create absolutely tender silhouettes. The whole collection by Gres is marked with the slogan “Love!” as the main theme, which also includes the well-loved flower prints and denim by Gres that send us back to the 60s.

Another Ukrainian designer, who now lives in Lviv, Oksana Karavanska created a feminine and dreamy collection, which goes in line with the popular fashion trends of the season. The main accents are huge prints, hand-painted decorations, and silk and cotton fabrics. She accurately uses the flower theme, introducing it only as a kind of accessory, or a print on shoes, for example. The traditional black-and-white is diluted by pale blue and greenish colors. The sports theme enters the collection in the form of hooded jackets that can be worn as dresses.

Ethnic, though not exactly Ukrainian, elements were visible in the collections of some designers. (Konstantin Klimenko)

Lilia Poustovit puts an accent on huge flower prints in ethnic traditions, which are presented on black-, brown-, and blue-colored backgrounds. The dresses and skirts are worn in combination with leggings and simple, comfortable shoes with little decoration. Yet the minimalism is not seen in the accessories by Poustovit – the big plastic beads – a tribute to the disco era. The traits of the baby-doll image are visible in the black-and-white bow headbands, decorated with flowers.

Cosmic, glistening fabric is introduced by Iryna Karavay, but in bronze, rather than silver, hues. The designer accents the 80s silhouettes with metal rings and round plates. The clothes are richly decorated with colorful flower prints and embroidery, and supplemented with leggings and thin leg warmers. I must say the collection by Karavay is the best combination of practical and vogue styles, demonstrating modern, fashionable ideas transformed with her personal approach.

Style boys

Oleksiy Zalevskiy presents his collection in radical black, white, and red colors, alluding to the love-death theme. The main tip from the designer: “It’s not what you wear that’s important, but how you wear it.” As for accessories, the Ukrainian designer advised me simply to avoid wearing them. This is surely an example of Zalevskiy’s chick minimalism.

Andre Tan, one of Ukraine’s most spoken-about young designers – mainly due to the TV program “Fashion Victim” that airs weekly on Noviy channel – created a romantic collection with a small hint of glamour, added by silk and satin fabric. His models are richly decorated with bow-ties and feathers, obviously following the trend exploited by Chanel that also presented all the models in black and white colors, studded with gems and decorated with feathers.

One of the few Ukrainian designers of men’s wear, Oleksandr Gapchuk, is as always ultra-modern and some of his works can only be worn at posh parties. In his collection he used the popular cigarette-style trousers, chequered pink, green, and blue. His jackets are a transformation of crocodile skins into a mosaic of pale, natural colors.

Clothes by most of the Ukrainian designers can easily be found in salons and showrooms, as well as boutiques. Having visited some of them, including “Nasche,” “Victoria Gres by Gres,” and “Lyudmila Kyslenko” at the Alta Center shopping mall, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly attention I was paid there by the shop assistants. The consultants didn’t bother me and let me look through the items on my own, and after my requests they showed me the clothes I was interested in. If you’d like to add some exclusive outfits made by local designers to your spring-summer wardrobe, head to the boutiques without delay.

Victor Anisimov, Irina Karavay, Andre Tan

Nasche

72 Chervonoarmiyska,

Olimpiyskiy shopping center

Fashion Lab (11A Moskovkiy Prospect)

Alta Tsentr

www.andretan.com.ua

Victoria Gres

“Victoria Gres by Gres”

Fashion Lab (11A Moskovkiy Prospect, Alta Tsentr )

“Victoria Gres Couture” (25 Prorizna)

www.victoriagres.com