belgrade fashion week: ana šekularac
like valentin yudashkin in moscow, according to the bfw site, serbian-born british designer ana šekularac first debuted her f/w 2011 collection in paris, before bringing it to display in belgrade, and though i'm tempted to give her a verbal bitch slap, the range is simply too good.
the collection consisted of celestial dresses, in red, white, black, cream, and beige; diaphanous and gossamer, but often with architectural qualities beneath that, the strong lines reminding us that the girl might seem delicate under so much frill, but perhaps there was more substance than as first appeared.
"Fashion has regained its Magic," the bfw site informs us the french press wrote of the collection, and the article i found to correspond with that quote (although, strangely enough, no one individually seems to have surfaced to take credit for it) writes that ballet was among the designer's references for the fall season.
the designer launched her signature line at belgrade fashion week in 2005, after a turn as a model herself, and her biography notes that her design "signatures are the interlocking of colours, neo-modern architectural cut, excellent craftsmanship, superb execution and striking detailing. The Ana Sekularac signature colours are scarlet red and black and every season a third colour is chosen to set the mood."
while the designer may have shown in some of the bigger cities, i'm still slightly stunned by the idea that she hasn't received more international acclaim and attention by now. indeed, the fall show was so exceptional that not only were most of the dresses good enough to constitute hits, but i find it difficult to take my eyes from the pictures. it's rare that something is so thoroughly artful and commercial at once, but ms. šekularac's pieces resoundingly quality for that title (and, if i may, evoke a little rodarte, though i tend to like this line better for its underlying toughness).
(see the final walk-through here)
