Ulyana Sergeenko Couture SS 13
Out of all the fashion packs that basically take over fashion week the Russian grouping is definitely my favourite. Attention seeking, matching outfit wearing and almost costume like in their choice of attire this pack have dominated street style stakes for season after season now and become one of my most anticipated things about the major fashion weeks. Although I love all of the group a special place in my heart goes to former model, photographer, street style star, stylist, blogger and designer Ulyana Sergeenko. Ulyana's style is something of an oddity compared with the mostly trend based style of street style stars. With a splash of old Hollywood, a pinch of the communist history of her home and a whole heap of the mythical and fairytale like Ulyana's style is like your grandmother's most decadent chocolate cake recipe: classical, rich, refined and something that brings you back to a time when a princess in an ivory tower was your role model.
With such great personal style it's no wonder she made the leap into the design world particularly into it's most costume like arena; couture where she is now onto her second collection in Paris. It's a collection that mostly everyone has come to expect from Ulyana, a variant of her normal style with a very obvious historic influence but it also has some notable differences. Firstly, this collection is not just the mostly strictly Russian affair that her Parisian debut was but more of a blend of a pop culture like history from around the world taking influence not from old photographs of the real thing or old designs but the movies and icons of varying eras and our perception of them. Scarlett O'Hara, for example, a purely fictional character who most imagine when thinking of the perfect southern belle can be seen throughout the collection with some pieces like the big green off the shoulder number looking like they had been stolen from the set of Gone with the Wind. There is also just a hint of Dorothy and the rest of Oz in the collection with a shiny, red taffeta cape making an appearance as well as some quite cleverly done pieces made from burlap fabric and some very cute hats tied together with rope and ribbon.
Ulyana's Spring 13 collection also lacks the richness and depth in both colours and textures of its predecessor with a focus more on creams, whites and greys and more subdued prints and much lighter and hardy fabrics which although sounding very spring like was also not as fresh or as bright as you would expect making the collection seem just that tad more real and less mythical.
But for all of her adoption of Americana Ulyana still hasn't forgotten her roots with bits of her heritage still coming through in the more like gypsy pieces, the embroidered accessories and the dull wallpaper printed dresses and skirts.
Still in the very beginning of her career and with a leaning towards the more costume and kitsch Ulyana's designs are not in the same league as couture's big names nor is she making the fashion puritans swoon. Frankly, she probably never will but there is something truly wonderful and fun about her collections and isn't that what fashion is really about?
Pictures via TFS