Kiev - Turns out there is one perfectly good designer in the Ukraine, and she is Lilla Poustovit, a romantic figure whose collections already retail in some of Europe's best boutiques. Her dreamy, yet elegantly practical collection shown Wednesday night, opened Ukrainian fashion Week, a 41-show season staged in leafy and historic
Poustovit's spring summer 2009 collection had lots of virtues, from its crumpled chic silk dresses, forgivingly cut yet cunningly draped, great graphic print tops and some very charming polka dot sheaths, draped with aplomb and finished with sophisticated lace detailing. Though clearly influenced by her country's ethnic traditions, Poustovit is a smart enough designer to know its best to use small doses of tradition leavened in a contemporary silhouette and mood.
"I had in mind an image of an Adriatic sunset when making this collection. So I wanted something romantic, yet clothes women could understand and wear easily," explained Poustovit backstage.
Lilla also injected an architectural element into her cocktail dresses, with vertical pleats that evoked Grecian columns.
Like all the shows here, Poustovit's collection was staged in a conference center in Pushkin Park, where TV hosts, actresses, Kievan rappers and local politicians all made the scene.
Also impressing was a cool club girl collection called NB Karavay, a display of posh hippie duds for spring that had sass and humor. Ranging from natty multi-flap and pleated cocktails to street chic short sleeve coats, this collection showed that Ukrainians can make commercial collections that connect with young consumers.
The opening day's two other shows were less happy affairs. Victoria Gres was a lackluster collection of predictable denims and formulaic jackets, where most of the models wore fedoras and carried pistols.
The evening finished with an elaborate show called Gromova Design where the clothes, worn by blackened eyed models that recalled Victorian tarts, had a certain energy - layered silk dresses in garish hues of violet and imperial purple. But in the end this show was almost a cliché of Westerners views of eastern European fashion - a pastiche of over the top ideas.
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