#liliapoustovit

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ukrainian fashion week: lilia poustovit

(images via ufw)

yaaaaay! (pause) yaaaay!  are you ready!?! yes, it's that time of year again, the time that we (mostly me) all celebrate: ukrainian fashion week in kiev is once more taking place!  really, i don't care how hard i have to push either, at some point, i will make converts of you, because i'm firmly committed to the cause that is ukrainian fashion, and think at present it's just misunderstood.  for those not acquainted, it might not be a 'flashy' country like, say, japan or sweden, one that has -philes regularly following its culture, but nevertheless i quite find the fashion is among the best of the 'lesser well-known' out there, and opt will forever champion its cause. 

and yes, i'm aware that we still have some stuff taking place prior to the mainstream shows to speak of (or at least wrap up in some fashion, though i'm not sure exactly how we'll do that just yet), but in the meantime, don't let any of this rain of my sunny day, because we're starting out speaking of one of opt's longtime favourites, lilia poustovit (Лилия Пустовит)! (pause, and another) yaaaay!  she presented her s/s 2013 collection in kiev on the premiere day, and it pretty much locked in with where we've seen her aesthetic walk in the past (see a/w 2010, s/s 2011, a/w 2011, s/s 2012, a/w 2012), so us fans can feel pleased on that score, as well.

and so, what of the designer's work for the upcoming spring?  it was titled 'urban mosaic' and according to the site totally blond, was inspired by the people of western podolia, and vinnytsa (both in western ukraine), with motifs such as (trans.) "diamonds, stars, crosses," and the embroidery taken from the regional national costume.  the ukrainian site hochu, after reflecting on the mosaic imagery that cropped up as a result of the aforementioned motifs, goes a bit further, reporting that the range was (trans.) "dedicated to the city and its residents, who are trying to save the link to the past and the roots of the nation."

meanwhile, several of the sites made a big to-do about the collection's colour, which is something we've seen making a strong presence in most of the designer's recent presentations. and indeed, it was nice--although i wouldn't say any of the pairings were anything to be stricken by--with such spring-like hues as salmon pink, cream, robin's egg blue, and a lot of white balancing out some darker blue, green, and navy hues. 

in terms of the collection's textiles, according to the blog be in trend, silk and cotton were the main choices, although it definitely looked like some suiting materials, and possibly something nubbier, like wool (as the fabric for the dark gray dress, third from below) also made their way into the mix.  and on the whole, save for a few items, the appearance was one of fluidity, and a definitely spring-time vibe, something that was a bit different from the autumnal collections we've been seeing of late elsewhere throughout europe. 

both of the ukrainian sites delo and lady tch made a big to-do about the show's accessories, with the former pointing out that this is only the second season the designer has produced her own footwear (which mainly mainfested in the form of tall platform sandals, although there were some basic pumps and t-strap sandals, as well), while the latter noted that she has added more accessories this season, including various bags, clutches, and jewelry. 

there were a good number of fluttery, butterfly-sleeved tops (as above), as well as more of a focus on trousers this season than i remember having seen at least in the recent past, but the rest of the offerings felt pretty standard coming from ms. poustovit--shirtdresses (often with prim little collars), breezy maxidresses, soft and silken menswear-style shirts, and some shorts.  there were also a greater number of sleeveless pieces, with the high, circular neck factoring in quite a bit (as second from below). 

on the whole, i'd say it fits in pretty concisely with the image a lot of the other european women designers have been projecting this season--from stella mccartney and phoebe philo at celine to clare waight keller at chloe.  like those, too, it was a slightly more casual vibe, with less fuss, and not much in the evening department--although there are so many designers out there turning that nonsense out, i'm not sure how much more of it we need to see.  in all, though, i think it played out well, and surely will be enough to keep the designer's fans appeased until her next show come spring.

(see the complete show video here)

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ukrainian fashion week: lilia poustovit

(images via ufw)

it never really feels like we've quite gotten into ukrainian fashion week until we've discussed my favourite "true patriot", lilia poustovit (Лилия Пустовит).  and yes, i know i should stop riding her for that remark, considering that she's taken it out of her bio page, probably due to my incessant yammering on the subject, but it's joking with love.  really, over the number of kiev seasons opt has discussed by now, i don't think i've ever seen a collection of hers (see a/w 2010, s/s 2011, a/w 2011, s/s 2012) that i wasn't pleased with.  thus, it makes the present range, for a/w 2012, all the more special if i say it was probably my absolute favourite yet.  yes, really. 

anyway, for her fall work, picking up on a theme we've seen a few times before--at thakoon in new york, lola faturoti in johannesburg, and konstantin gayday in moscow--the ukrainian site hochu reported that the designer was inspired by the masai (or maasai) peoples of kenya.  "I went to Kenya by accident. Once, after returning from a business trip to Moscow, my husband called and asked to me to go to Kenya, but said that it should be [brief]. It did not take long to persuade me, because I was always interested in the Masai tribe, their culture - that was the main reason for me to travel.  They are very beautiful, tall, thin. But the main thing is that they have preserved their cultural and moral values. For me, communication with these people was a call to preserve our Ukrainian traditions. Wake up Africa! Wake up Ukraine!" (trans.) ms. poustovit explained. 

in other words, we were seeing a collection a lot like the one thakoon presented about a year ago--a mashup between two cultures, with traditional masai prints and jewelry, starlife said, decorating the garments.  interestingly, the ukrainian site story pointed out that ms. poustovit kept to the same sort of minimalist silhouettes she generally favours, complete with pleating, layering, and draping, with dresses in basically every length the main element of the collection. she also took her work to moscow to show this season (sometime after kiev, thankfully), and the blog cooking looking praised the graphics, the lace overlays, and the detail, which, really, if one looked closer, there was quite a lot of. 

interestingly, the colour palette was one i wouldn't have been surprised to see traditional ukrainian prints cast in, and perhaps that's part of the reason the masai motifs folded so well into the presentation.  classic black and white (usually on hand for all of her collections) were accented with mauve, cherry red, grassy green, navy, cerulean, smoky gray, and a sort of dusty wedgewood blue.  the blog be in trend related that ms. poustovit's textiles of choice included wool, guipure lace, jersey, silk, and linen.  in-keeping with the designer's tendency not to go overboard with accessories, she didn't fuss over her girls too much, but occasionally strung some of the monochromatic looks with a masai jewelry chain, while kitting others out with fitted charm necklaces.  the footwear, which included all manner of basic boots and booties were made as part of a collaboration with braska. 

running throughout the collection, i got a certain schoolgirl-ish vibe, particularly with the sweet little shirtdresses featuring 3/4-length sleeves, those dainty peter pan-collared blouses, and smart skirts (often with pleating).  that of course isn't to say there was nothing grown-up about the show, and indeed, taken out of context, probably most of the individual pieces would work for older girls.  additionally, the motifs, which as hochu pointed out included the masai eye, which represents the (trans.) "guardian of the tribe" helped to play up a more globalized and sophisticated bent.  but perhaps the most intriguing element of the range was the lace covering various skirts and dresses--sometimes somewhat translucent, and at other moments thicker, and almost stifling the garment beneath it. 

this gave a touch of a lingerie-feel to the collection, a bit of naughtiness, like we were seeing a slip accidentally worn on the outside.  and due to the fact that ms. poustovit doesn't often show her more sensual side, it was rather a treat and an interesting avenue to see her pursue, particularly in the case of the shorter gray number pulled over the floor-sweeping (really, almost dragging) ombre ultramarine and scarlet skirt (below).  it didn't work quite as well when the lace teamed over a shorter frock, feeling a little more obvious, but at least i'll give her credit for trying.  it was a fabulous new direction for the designer, and as i've probably said before, these cultural-mashup collections are amongst my favourite topics.  in the global world we now live, it feels quite appropriate, and often makes for new looks in a field so difficult to constantly innovate within (see additional images at perfectionist's diary).

(watch the complete collection video here)

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ukrainian fashion week: lilia poustovit

(images via ufw)

lilia poustovit was one of the first designers opt seized on when initially discovering ukrainian fashion week in kiev, and through the seasons, i've eagerly anticipated her work (see a/w 2010, s/s 2011, a/w 2011), finding a good blend of feminine qualities, hip youthfulness, and wardrobe practicality that, if not theatrical like some, nevertheless conveys that sense of knowing what's up, like stella mccartney, who always takes into consideration the big and small moments in a woman's life that make up her wardrobe.  so, each season we can appreciate that and, as ever, rest easy knowing that homegirl is a "true patriot" (yeah, i'm really, really never going to get tired of saying that). 

titled 'youth in captivity', the designer's s/s 2012 range, russian site fashion time explains, (trans.) "is dedicated to the girl who is spun out of contradictions and change: today she  is fun and impulsive, sentimental tomorrow in tears, and a day later unrecognizable as serious and unflappable. However, she is not capricious or a doll nymphet. Rather, she is the inverse image of Persephone from Greek legends - a beauty that's an always charming young girl."  ukrainian site story added that this was (trans.) "the wardrobe of the Soviet schoolgirl. She is intelligent, educated, loves poetry. And at first, dynamic music in the background seemed irrelevant. But then it became clear that the music reflects the inner world of the heroine of the show, its wild energy, the desire to be different, a dual nature."

kyiv post also noticed out that the designer "shed a tear after the show saying that her collection reminded her of her mother when she was young."  range materials, says satcura, included silk, lace, and chiffon, with the palette characteristically lovely, but not too loud: snowy white, french blue, black, pale gray, cerulean, and tomato red.  totally blond points out that this was a (trans.) "major print collection - with contrasting octagons on a neutral background," while ukrainian site personal shopper added that the designer's meaning was to give us (trans.) "a multicolored grid [that] reflects our way of life, which we painted and filled with personal events. The quantity and quality of these rhombs-impressions depend on us." 

the designer tends to make dresses her runway staple, filling out the odds-and-ends of the show with the separates that would complete her customers' wardrobes, and spring was no exception.  she started with shorter skirts and dresses, sometimes riffing on the school uniform with a prim white blouse and black cardigan, but as she moved forward, the range expanded into sexier, slouchy dresses with the so-hot pleats of the season, jumpsuits and trousers sliding between the midi-length frocks.  eventually she worked her way into the billowing dresses that brushed the floor for evening, although by splitting her colours (they pieces were often bisected in some fashion) and adding the lively prints, a certain measure of the formality was removed, thereby making them feel day-appropriate as well. 

as ever, what strikes me about ms. poustovit's work is her seeming understanding of what women need in a wardrobe (see good additional images with many close-ups at chernikoff).  true, there's a certain impish youthful quality in her clothes for spring, and even with the delicate and lovely bead work on many of the collars, the blouses and shorter dresses tend to favour the younger girls (although the jumpsuits, pants, and many of the midi or longer dresses would work for the more mature), but she brings an edgy, alluring/nerdy charm to pieces that one can actually envision women wearing as they go to work or what else, rather than just as sexysexy garb for models to shimmy about half-in-half-out of in fetish shoots for magazines.  and, that being a surprisingly novel principle, makes the designer's show look all the better. 

fashion time writes that by splicing her pieces with the contrast fabrics towards the end of the show, she was (trans.) "emphasiz(ing) the ambiguity of the character of the heroine."  somehow the idea that she so reveres her lady, sees her as cheeky, sweet, intelligent, funny, daring...in these days when it feels that the fashionies continually push one role on women as the highest thing they can achieve (thin), thinking of women beyond, as something more, is utterly refreshing (even if it should be commonplace).  yes, we all want to look good.  but a designer making clothes that tries to emphasize the traits beyond mere beauty...why, that's positively shocking!  and, of course, i want to see more...

(see the complete collection video, as it was presented in moscow, here,the catwalk finale here, and the show highlights from kiev here)

[oneporktaco-blog]

ukrainian fashion week: lilia poustovit

(images via ufw)

yay!  it's time for another of my favourite lesser-well-known fashion weeks, the one in ukraine!  break out your dancin' shoes, 'cause it's time for designers who take themselves seriously with the fervor of a "true patriot" (more on that later) and a lot of nice eastern european influences we don't always see outside of a john galliano show (and that is to authentic what taco bell is....but digression!).  and we're off...

first up on the s/s 2011 circus is poustovit, a line that claims to be a "launch" at ukrainian fashion week, thus likely isn't the same as lilia poustovit, a designer we encountered last season, who described herself with the words above (although, as an update, i just learned this was homegirl's work, thus i have no idea about the "launch" remark). 

anyway, according to their site, poustovit is an "environmentally concious brand" that is available in the us, thus assuaging your fears that looking at all these delights from the east will come to naught (though i ask you: how many pieces of celine, oscar de la renta, jil sander and giles deacon do you really have at home, anyway?) 

they're a little less hardcore than some of their design counterparts (in that they're not going so cultural), giving us plenty of pieces quite girly, with an emphasis on ruffles and shiny things.  that probably worked best when she kept it more restrained, such as the look below, than something like the dress at bottom which felt a little close to an explosion resultant in hitting the "cute" button too many times. 

however, that aside, there were also looks here pretty restrained and sophisticated, as the dress at top and the jacket/pant combo below (although i'm a little concerned, as the look seems to be dwarfing the model in an odd way, and when this happens to a girl likely somewhere above 5'9", it doesn't bode well for those somewhat shorter). 

many of the pieces could be worn in a variety of ways, and it's always nice to see a line that seems to understand most of us are looking for clothes to fit the multiple facets of our lives, rather than merely serve as costumes for dress-up while we wear grease-stained sweats & wife-beaters the rest of the day. 

the muted palette was mostly conservative enough for an office environment, and though there were those few too-cutesy pieces that i've mentioned, at their best, the looks (such as the pink/silver ruffled dress near the top) came off as playfully fun without overwhelming. 

the couple of evening gowns she added at the end was a nice touch as well, although they felt to need more work before really being appropriate for a solid formal occasion--as yet a little light.  all in all, though, it was a pleasant venture on the label's part and one can merely add to that the benefit of the eco-friendly.  now it's simply down to the price...

updated: with new images

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ukrainian fashion week: lilia poustovit

(images via ukrainian fashion week)

an inspection of lilia poustovit's website describes her philosophy thus:

Intelligence, genuineness and traditions are the basic values of POUSTOVIT brand. Being a cosmopolitan at heart, Lilia Poustovit is a true patriot. As for the designer the native design is an integral part of the world cultural processes. Therefore romantic conceptualism with ethnic background is a strategic direction of the brand. As the designer says, our roots and traditions will always be a source of the Big Idea. Authentic always remains modern and actual.

wow, wow, wow.  could you swallow all of that?  it's kind of like when your boss calls a team meeting to give some long ass speech on accountability or some corporate nonsense and you're sitting there trying to look like you're paying attention while thinking, bitch, give me three keywords.  jesus. a lesson on brevity is vital.

well, making fun of her website aside, the runway showed some charming hip-girl modern staples, including slouchy boyfriend-style pants & jackets and smart shirtdresses.  though not exactly pathbreaking, there was a fine attention to the detail, and often a mimalist approach that felt new to something now become requisite pieces for saturday afternoons spent lounging at some outdoor cafe.

except for a couple of unsuccessful forays into a camouflage dot-print, her pieces were mainly monochromatic, with an earthy, classical palette.  the cadet blue was an especially nice touch in a season of severe navys or lavish electric blues. 

i guess the "ethnic background" of her description would come in the form of the models' hair & the furry shoe-clog things?  although the messy braids could actually be adapted into a viable hairstyle, what is up with those...well, maybe we should call them footpieces?  they have an air of someone having hacked off parts of animals feet to wear over their own.  because that's not warm enough, they have to wear them with little girls' ankle socks.  yeah, i don't know what that's about, either.

anyway, i did read elsewhere that lilia poustovit's line is one of the most successful internationally to come from ukraine.  the few missteps aside, it's easy to understand why.  these are just the kind of pretty clothes any girl can easily fit into her wardrobe.

updated: with new images