Disclaimer: incoming NOOB analysis of Fashion Week
I am not one to report on fashion weeks; as much as I would one day love to attend an internationally-attended Fashion Week, for some reason I find fashion shows almost archaic. Perhaps it is the increasingly digital nature that the up-and-coming forces of fashion (the VFILES fashion show, anyone?) have taken on that has induced this type of thinking, but the runway does not exist in my mind as the golden arch of fashion (unless of course, we're talking about the "golden arches" of Moschino A/W 2014). I suppose I also find it difficult to relate to the ultra-thin models, the fact that I cannot wear something couture or avant-garde to the grocery store, etc...but I will say this much: as much as fashion is marketing, it is also art.
I haven't blogged much about Russian fashion for a while, and with Moscow Fashion Week hot off the press, I took to...where else? The Internet.
Not surprisingly, I didn't see that much coverage, at least on English-language search engines.
While Moscow Fashion Week is certainly not on everyone's radar-it does have political, albeit well-designed, undertones.
Fashion Week coverage from Russian fashion vlogger & blogger Valery Dolgova
I think she is so cute & this vlog post covered personal activities, outfits, and designers throughout the week. An all-encompassing, typical fashion vlogger post.
I realize pretty much most all of you readers do not speak a word of Russian, but the modes of communication here still matter. I posted these videos because they apply to the blogging community (one is from a Russian vlogger) from the opposite poles of digital media in Russia, from the voice of free individualism to government rhetoric. In a state less democratic today than it was 2 years ago, in a state of mind/existence today where the Internet is more pervasive than it was 2 years ago---the Internet is still a bastion of freedom...and a necessary communication tool...for the Russian people.
This is important to the current state of Russian fashion because aside from its ever-shrinking market value and freedom of creation, the international state of fashion is hugely influenced by the Internet.
What we see in Russia is less capital, less coverage, and a less publicized, less understood (in the sense that the news is ONLY broadcast in Russian) clientele...and creative class (designers in this case)...coming out of its fashion weeks. In this sense, it's almost a subtle act of nationalism...but is it actually subtle? Not so much.
Does anyone care? I think we SHOULD care...the creative class (in any industry) is SO important to any society...Russia has been a huge fashion influencer in recent years. Russia's current political state has not only marginalized its market value to the rest of the world; it's effectively made it communicably inaccessible and difficult to reach/understand, even via democratizing forces like the Internet.
I've found that most western and international coverage of Moscow Fashion Week A/W 2015 has not focused on the collections, but rather the street style (see Vogue, Refinery 29 and Harpers Bazaar). Street style snaps are Internet gold, but the runway still matters; designers are the arbiters of the creative class, just as much, if not more so, than fashionista and socialite attendees.
I now digress to design. The photos above are some of my favorites from Igor Gulaev's show; stylistically Russian, with luxurious fabrics, furs, and design details emblematic of Russian and Soviet history. This collection reminded me a lot of Ulyana Sergeenko; nothing groundbreaking, but nonetheless stunning.
Goga Nikabadze's collection featured rich, vibrant hues and beautiful draping. His Georgian heritage and inspiration harkened to Georgia's Golden Age and elegance. I loved his use of head gear.
CONTRFASHION was particularly mystifying; the plays on proportions, shapes, and textures evoked a futuristic, otherworldly, occasionally grotesque and dystopian kind of feel. Sort of like Tolstoyan diction. How very Russian, right?
I loved Yulia Nikolaeva's collection; I interpreted everything from a whimsical, earthly mindset; from mushroom-like berets, to fern-esque and feathery textures, to silhouettes almost evocative of sprites and extraterrestrial goddesses; I loved it all. The color palette was also on-point.
DIMANEU was very curious...while the painted white faces allude to geishas and Far East influence, the makeup-outfit coordination was oddly inspiring. This collection almost reminded me of Kazimir Malevich. Digitally-inspired graphic design IRL.
With a new season also hot off the silver screen medium, I felt obligated to feature Yez by Yegor Zaitsev. This screams Game of Thrones to me...right? Steampunk meets fantasy meets military.
And last, but certainly not least is the LITERAL military collection from Leonid Alexeev in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense. Yup, you heard (and saw) that right...the government took over Fashion Week!!! The inspiration of this collection was entirely political, interpreted by military food/clothing supplier Voentorg as "the Crimean Spring." Patriotism, camaraderie, and mobility...Russia's take on athleisure?
xo ♡ SFB
