“I am happy to invite you to the world of fashion design secrets and share those secrets with you”. With these words, the prominent Russian fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin opened his one-man show in Moscow. It is located at the Historical Museum on Red Square and will run until 2 November. It is timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the Yudashkin House of Fashion.
This Russian brand had its première in the world of high fashion in 1991 when Yudashkin showed his collection in Paris for the first time. It was entitled “Fabergé” and was inspired by artistic ideas drawn from the prominent Russian jewellery atelier that won fame for its output of Easter eggs made of precious metals, stones, and enamels. The young Russian couturier designed dresses in the form of Fabergé’s renowned eggs. They produced a great impression on the sophisticated French public and impressed the recognised leaders of the fashion world, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne. In short, Yudashkin’s first collection did not return to Russia, it remained in France, at the Louvre in Paris.
Since then, the Russian fashion designer has created a variety of new dresses, consolidating his international prestige. He does not make his work into a secret, for when he presents his dresses from collections of various years at the Moscow show, he gives full particulars of their details. Take for example, the airy evening dresses he named his “Clouds”. Yudashkin felt much gratitude to the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, whose workshops provided him with an opportunity of getting an insight into the creation of such airy forms and studying various techniques of work with various fabrics. He said that he was learned old techniques there in which the fabric is not cut by scissors, but, it is torn by hand so that it could take elegant and so-called “live” forms. Take, for example, a tender pink organza dress, it looks so alive and natural although many metres of fabric were used. A theatrical approach to dress design is typical of Yudashkin. According to the couturier, this is yet another mystique to his style. Such an approach gives freedom to the designer, allows him to use exotic fabrics and a plethora of colours.
True, his show proved that Yudashkin can also work skilfully using only one colour. His collection entitled “Mister Dinner Jacket” is a virtuoso interpretation of the colour black. Visitors are amazed standing in front of a dinner jacket that can be described, without exaggeration, as a piece of art. On its back made of sheer black silk there is a portrait of the famous Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin embroidered in black beads. What is more, the poet’s notes on the margins of his books were reproduced skilfully. Yudashkin believes that black is a magic colour. He said, “My favourite dress is made using the ‘black on black’ technique, it is so tragic and romantic! Various materials are involved, atlas, laces, chiffon, organza, taffeta, and velvet, to produce the proper black shading effect”.
What are quite different are his dresses with exotic and rich in colour feathers of birds of paradise, pheasants, ostriches, and peacocks. In some dresses, the natural feathers are sewn to the fabric using old technology, on others; they are reproduced on fabrics using new technologies. Yet, this is no secret; Yudashkin’s secret is that for him the image of the Russian woman is associated with that of a flying bird.
13 October 2008
Tatiana Kaperkina
Voice of Russia World Service
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=33706&cid=59&p=13.10.2008 (in English)
Wow! Good one. His show proved that Yudashkin can also work skilfully using only one colour. What are quite different are his dresses with exotic and rich in colour feathers of birds of paradise, pheasants, ostriches, and peacocks. In some dresses, the natural feathers are sewn to the fabric using old technology, on others; they are reproduced on fabrics using new technologies. Yet, this is no secret; Yudashkin’s secret is that for him the image of the Russian woman is associated with that of a flying bird.
Comment by even more beautiful — Tuesday, 14 October 2008 @ 04:52