The first day of Ukrainian Fashion Week traditionally began with the launch of Lilia Pustovit’s 2008 spring/summer collection. This tradition has been upheld for the past decade, ever since the first Fashion Seasons. All these years, we have been marveling at Pustovit’s fantastic capacity for work (between two and four collections every year), her solid team of professionals, and, most of all, her collections, which never show any emotional downward curves. As usual, her latest collection is a harmonious combination of rhythm, color, sound, and graphics. Everything is fresh and defined, and there is nothing superfluous.
This year Pustovit’s images were inspired by avant-garde ideas, particularly by Alexandra Exter. Exter’s designs were extremely functional, with clearly defined color decisions that invariably interacted with form. Pustovit announced to everyone that intellect is becoming emotional: “A kind of bright yellow energy is appearing in the monochromic movement of scale, and a confrontation between white and gray is emerging.”
Exter used black and white, and there were always details that stood out, not just in terms of color but surface. What makes this collection special is that flashes of hot yellow combine with restrained grays, corals, yellow-greens, and whites, noble combinations of pale pink and steel gray, and, as usual, black. Pustovit says that these color combinations are age-old components of any work of contemporary art. These color contrasts are attractive in an emotional and dramatic sense, and in the stark transition from the usual romantic and delicate silhouette to a strong and bold figure. These contrasts do not lead to conflict but result in a kind of harmony of form and content. The play of colors transposes us back to the distant 1920s, when the principles of cubism and futurism were first portrayed in space. “Minimalism is still felt, and this is exactly what is having an impact on our perceptions of newness and naturalness,” says Pustovit.
Oksana Karavanska says that her collection is a gamble, like a card game. The cut of her clothing is based on the principle of playing cards, with tops acting as mirror reflections of bottoms. She has invented a new pleating technique, which she calls “square” or “crosswise” pleating, in which horizontal and vertical folds are made simultaneously. Her collection is filled with light, transparent fabrics. Karavanska says this is the way to make one realize that every woman is beautiful and unique.
Karavanska always pays a lot of attention to accessories. This time we saw a lot of original women’s hats. They looked knitted, but when you take a closer look, you can see that they are made of the same print fabrics that are used in making tapestries. For this show Karavanska’s purses were designed in the shape of notes. Where colors are concerned, Oksana favors white, cream, dark navy blue, and mercury gray.
Victoria Hres’s collection is called “Head in the Clouds.” It is rooted in a diversified range of fashions, including coats and bolero jackets that emphasize the models’ silhouettes. Her silk shoes deserve special notice. Her collection is complemented by eight purse designs, executed in leather and textiles. The Victoria Hres Fashion House’s summer collection is defined by a restrained approach, dominated by black and white contrasts, with a smattering of gray, beige, and gold overtones.
IMPRESSIONS
Oleh PANIUTA, TV host:
I was pleased to see that Lilia Pustovit has remained true to her habit of dazzling her fans with her collections. When I was exploring this one, I was tempted to regard the models as precious gifts packed in a half-open box. We could see what was inside, but the wrappings made it clear that they were exclusive and expensive gifts.
I also liked Victoria Gres’s collection. It is very feminine, effectively emphasized by the French music that accompanied the models parading down the catwalk.
Vlasta SHOVKOVSKA, TV channel host:
I often attend Lilia Pustovit’s shows. This time I was especially impressed by her shoes. I’m definitely going to buy a couple of pairs. The dresses were also very interesting: they are feminine and boast daring combinations of colors. I don’t know many designers in Ukraine who can play around with color and combine things that supposedly cannot be combined. Lilia can do this. She did it this time, and I think her collection is very interesting, although I can’t remember ever seeing any bad Pustovit collections.
Iryna DIUDENKO, stylist:
Surprisingly, I really liked Lilia Pustovit’s collection. I say surprisingly because our contemporary fashion designers are easily identifiable; we know what comes from Pustovit or Hres, and so on. We constantly expect new ideas from them. I would describe this collection as a fresh creative upsurge. It is very light and expressive. On the one hand, Pustovit is characterized by minimalism and on the other, by new details and a combination of complicated constructions, like folds and extra skirts. All this is done with more glamorous fabrics, particularly silk. This is a very successful combination, as well as the metal zippers running down the back with such elegance. The collection is very pure in terms of color. There was exactly the right amount of bright yellows, corals, and greens against black, white, and cream backgrounds. I was very happy for Lilia.
