October 15 saw the launch of Ukraine’s 25th Fashion Week, featuring 2010 spring-summer collections by five Ukrainian designers who have differing and even contrasting creative approaches. As it is, every trend in contemporary Ukrainian vogue can be found in the collections produced by these five designers: self-immersion and at the same time openness to the rest of the world in Poustovit’s, retro style in Gres’, scandalousness in Gres’, new cosmopolitan dimension of luxury in Gromova’s, and attention to detail of the traditional Ukrainian world in Karavanska’s.
Poustovit, Ukraine’s most acknowledged fashion designer, submitted its 25th Ukrainian Fashion Week collection. Restraint, graphical vividness, gray-pink and gray-green shades, silk, sophisticated drapery, floral and pea green chiffons, sensuality, individuality, and weightlessness — this sums up her collection.
Explicitly or implicitly, every fashion designer employs certain allusion, “quotations,” and sources. Some simply follow the existing phenomena, without bothering to ponder them and come up with new ideas. This has never been true of Poustovit. The impression is that she has discarded anything concrete as a source of inspiration when making up her mind on colors, shapes, or textures. Hers is a philosophic rather than earthly inspiration; it appeals to a barely perceptible mood, to existence as such.
As it was, Lilia Poustovit offered her fashion show not to the accompaniment of the traditional rhythmic electronic music but purely classical music, which was a bold experimental approach to the podium way of life. Hers was an experiment in terms of ecology, in the first place. Ecology as the underpinning principle of conception of the environment and one’s lifetime philosophy above all —this is what we essentially see as we watch Poustovit’s collection.
Unlike Poustovit, who gets her inspiration from daily life, Gres came up with a thematic collection entitled “Diaghilev, Paris, 1909.” Here, once again, one can sense her retrospective attitude, which is traditionally characteristic of her collections. A century ago, Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes mesmerized Paris by their renditions of Scheherazade and Firebird. It was on the crest of this emotional tidal wave that see-through fabrics, deep necklines, and Oriental motifs in general overwhelmed Parisian vogue. In her collection Gres has fleeting silhouettes, airy delicate silk, muslin, and organza fabrics boasting colorful floral patterns.
Gromova came up with a purely silk line, with her usual smooth lines and silhouettes, without any color outbursts, just the playing of silks that produces a luxurious artful collection.
As expected, Zalevskiy’s collection was scandalous, challenging, and rich in contrasts, while Karavanska put emphasis was on Scythian pectoral decorations.
