It was Oksana Karavanska’s first show in the past three years to take place in her native Lviv. “The uniqueness of the show is that we will hold it in an unusual place, namely a former tram depot,” the designer told The Day on the eve of the show. “The audience won’t see a traditional podium and boys from Kryivka (a restaurant in Lviv whose interior is stylized as an OUN-UPA hideout; Party of Regions member Oleh Zariov demands it be closed for ‘fueling interethnic hatred.’ — Author) will meet the guests at the entrance of the shed.”
In the shed the audience saw a poster that read “Oksana Karavanska. History is continued through fashion.” The show started with an oath of allegiance taken by an UPA warrior, which was greeted with applause. After that 64 models appeared on wooden planking. Several colors dominated in the collection — coal-gray that turned into black, chocolate, warm chocolate and burgundy in ash gray and warm beige.
Surprisingly, the collection did not seem military at all, rather very feminine and romantic: the military motifs were noticeable only in the boots and shoes with a rugged sole worn by the model. Karavanska used mohair, foam rubber, non-woven wool, lace, silk and relief handmade knitting.
“The combination of textures this time has one more interpretation — seeking the ideal via the struggle of contradictions,” a representative of the designer’s press service Taras Bai explained. He said that coats using three different fabrics, even including handmade knitting, are an indisputable must-have.
