It is no secret that the home country of Ulyana Sergeenko, Russia, is going through not so simple from political and humanitarian view times. Laces and ruffles, broad floor-sweeping skirts and flirty glances from under half-closed eyelashes are in the past. On the catwalk reigns post-revolutionary mood of the first quarter of the twentieth century, when Russia, getting rid of the “oppression” of czarism, enthusiastically rushed into a new, promising to be the best, world. Ulyana takes the challenge to prove to us that this world, despite the transitional period with all its hardships and fragile foundations, is not without sources of inspiration for the arts, be it architecture, music or painting.

The tone of the collection is set by the appearance of first model in a long waist-fitted leather coat – straight gaze beneath the brows, rectangular matching clutch in place of pistol holster on the belt – the style of a young rebel, passionately believing in not yet turned by the history into utopia ideals of bright future of communism.

A peasant, ascended by an irony of fate into the status of high society lady, tries on haute couture dresses. Geometric silhouettes of constructivism designer mixes with modernist architectural ideas of the Bauhaus. Degradé on mohair sweaters is inspired by paintings Kazemir Malevich and Tamara Lempicka.

Luxury mink fur coats and coats with wide Arctic foxes collars are intermixed with Ulyana’s favorite boudoir dresses of flowing chiffon, with satin bustier à la Jean Paul Gautier and mini-dresses from Yelets laces with leather aprons, resembling a school uniform worn by girls in the Soviet Union. Cock, ostrich and marabou feathers: the luxury in certain levels of society existed in all epochs.

The collection is dominated by cold, “metal” tones of blue, gray and black, which designer softened by diluting feminine shades of pink, flesh and wheat.

Photo credits: Ulyana Sergeenko