I’ve been looking over the stats for my blog and it seems the 3rd most popular country to view my blog is Russia. Yet here I am, not having written a single post about Russian style and fashion. How rude? So Russia, how about I make it up to you and talk a little bit about the things I love most in Russian fashion.
1. They really are ‘IT’.
The number 1 thing is Russia’s fashion ‘IT’ girls. Although I despise the term ‘IT’ girls – it’s so often wasted on talentless, party-hearty girls, there is no better way to describe these ladies. They really are ‘IT’ when it comes to Russian fashion and style.
Miroslava Duma being my favourite of the girls, there’s something about her style that makes me just want to be her. You’ll find she’s a favourite with street style bloggers, and with the countless images she’s snapped in, I’m not afraid to admit that I take notes. Her colour choices are always spot on and add quite a playful edge to her style. The way she blends various tones and hues in a single outfit often leaves me in awe. A former Editor for Harpers Bazaar Russia, Miroslava now works as a freelance writer for other top fashion publications.
Natasha Goldenberg is another lady who knows how to pull together a winning outfit. The pink suit and knitted hat…genius! Her outfits always look so refined yet so effortless, I guess she just has that fashion grace about her. Another talented writer, Natasha has worked for both Hello Russia and Russia Grazia and is now a director for design label Kova & T.
2. The designers.
Just as popular for their sense of style as Miroslava and Natasha, but also famous for their design labels, are Vika Gazinskaya and Ulyana Sergeenko. To me, their collections represent the fashion edge Russia possesses over many other fashion capitals, offering designs that are just that little bit different, quirky yet wearable. There’s a big difference between quirky and wearable and quirky and disastrous and it’s separated by a fine line which both Vika and Ulyana seem to fully comprehend.
They never go too far with the quirkiness. They add a touch of it here and there and make up the rest of the collection with stunning silhouettes and exquisite details (see my favourites below). To add to their appeal, their collections always, always, always have the most feminine quality about them and I’m a sucker for a ladylike look. You can view my favourites below but I definitely urge you to view the rest of their collections on www.vikagazinskaya.com and the best images for Ulyana’s AW ’11 collection was from http://trendland.net/ulyana-sergeenko-aw-2011-2012/#
Vika SS '12
Ulyana AW '11
3. Street style.
Have a look at the gent below. There’s something quite traditionally Russian about his style and I don’t mean to generalise when I say that. The hat, the shirt with the grandfather collar, the glasses, it all has a Russian edge, but his taste for pulling it all together is rather different. Notice how the sleeve of the blazer is pushed further up the arm than the sleeve of the shirt, and only the back of the collar is lifted, not the lapels – this is no accident. He's taken a traditional look and transformed it into a high fashion look and I often see these unique stylish details in Russian street style. Russia is definitely one to watch for forthcoming trends and picking up easy style tips like these.
On a slightly different note, does anyone else find this gent fascinating? I can imagine he has a large collection of chunky, knitted scarves and enjoys reading poetry in smoke-filled cafes whilst listening to Billie Holiday.
So there you have it, my favourite things about Russian fashion and style. Russia I hope I didn’t disappoint. To Russia and all my other readers Большое спасибо
I hope you’re all enjoying the blog so far.
Noreen xx
Image courtesy of ASOS.com
