It can be really hard to keep up with everything going on during Ukrainian Fashion Week. Designers go out of their way to make their collections and shows stand out and appeal to the audience: from the most surprising locations, to unique but à la mode themes, to carefully selected outfits. The Kyiv Post has picked out five of the most interesting and notable shows from the 39th Ukrainian Fashion Week to review.
Frolov
Frolov S/S 17 features corsets, asymmetry and sheer fabrics. (Ukrainian Fashion Week)
Designer Ivan Frolov turned the restaurant on the second-floor of the futuristic Soviet-era building that is the Salut Hotel into something from the set of “Fifty Shades of Gray”: red lighting and women tied up and hanging using the Japanese Shibari artistic method of rope bondage. According to the designer himself, Frolov S/S 17 was inspired by Asia and the karaoke culture. Corsets, sheer fabrics, belts and stripes dominated the collection. Frolov also played with cuts, symmetry and lengths in his designs, which was accompanied by a compelling mix of music, confirming the conclusion that it takes a true talent like Frolov to make such disparate elements work together so well.
Navro
Navro sticks to bohemian chic in her S/S 17 collection. (Ukrainian Fashion Week)
Olga Navrotska stayed true to her usual self, sticking with bohemian chic in her S/S 17 collection. The whole show was soothingly harmonic: from tribal music to girly dresses and blouses, to models’ hair tied in braids. Ethnic motifs, floral prints and girly ruffles made the black, white and military garments fun and feminine. Navrotska is clearly aware of the latest trends in the fashion industry: functionality and multi-tasking. The accessories, which the designer co-created with Ukrainian brand Fidelitti, ranged from rucksacks that also act as jackets to small handbags attached to the belts around the models’ waists. Loose silhouettes and oversized jackets in denim and leather also add to the practicality of the collection.
Jean Gritsfeldt
Nature and sparkles: Jean Gritsfeldt S/S 17 show feels like an extravagant party. (Ukrainian Fashion Week)
Jean Gritsfeldt presented his S/S 17 collection in an unusual location – the National Museum of Natural History – in a room filled with animal bones and skeletons. In picking such an unusual location, the designer wanted to bring attention to environmental issues such as global warming. The collection varied from garments that echoed the venue: zebra prints, nature colors and leaf prints, to modern inventions such as sequins, sparkles and eclectic prints, all worn by models resembling Elle Fanning’s character in the film “The Neon Demon.” This juxtaposition worked perfectly; the disco tunes played towards the end of the show, along with accessories in the form of gold headwear and sparkly sunglasses, made the show feel like a sort of eccentric party.
Larisa Lobanova
Pink, yellow and purple colors are complimented with flirtatious elements such as bows, flowerpots and hearts in Larisa Lobanova S/S 17 collection. (Ukrainian Fashion Week)
Larisa Lobanova S/S 17 was a breath of fresh air, which is precisely what should be expected from a spring-summer collection. Models with pigtails and large eyes appeared in girly dresses, resembling porcelain dolls rather than real human beings. Pink, yellow, purple and coffee brown were the colors that were dominant in the collection, complimented with flirtatious elements such as bows, prints of flowerpots and hearts, and statement sunglasses. The music was chosen perfectly, with the climax of the show being when models wearing mind-blowingly gorgeous purple dresses entered the runway to the late Prince’s hit “Purple Rain.”
LAKE
LAKE studio designers present an impressive variety of fabrics: linen, satin, velvet and tweed. (Ukrainian Fashion Week)
Aristocracy and luxury were the first associations to strike the audience at the Lake S/S 17 show. But designers Olesya Kononova and Anastasia Ryabokon managed to keep the collection classic and cool: no extravagance or showing off, just pure elegance and beauty. The location of the show – the National Art Museum of Ukraine – a grand building, with the venue chosen being a red-walled room with royal portraits, added an aristocratic feel to the show. The collection features an impressive variety of fabrics: linen, satin, velvet and tweed in brown, gold, red and grey colors. Lake studio went for classic garments with occasional funky touches, like bows on the back of dresses and stand-alone prints of flora and fauna. Small touches like red lips and emerald green earrings finished off the graceful looks – no doubt Kate Middleton herself would approve.
