Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia 2016

October 13 saw the opening of the new season of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia. Fashion Week's headliner, Vyacheslav Zaitsev stylistically divided his SLAVA ZAITSEV show called Impromptu Number 3 into separate blocks. The show started with a performance by the event's special guest, Nadezhda Babkina and her Russian Song ensemble all dressed in haute couture folk costumes. Designed in black and white, women and men's wear showcased a great variety of decoration patterns. Traditional Russian costume features, so beloved by the designer, could also be easily noticed in the models of the second block. Pret-a-porte section seemed all like a kaleidoscope of color thanks to the great number of shades and tinges, shapes and cut features used. Puff gigot sleeves, dropped shoulder seam line, round and pumped up shoulders - this fashion season's emphasis on this line is simply inevitable. There are also other trendy elements to this season, such as large buttons, the return of houndstooth pattern and copper satchels. In cooperation with Belarusian artist Nikolai Morozov the Russian designer created Jacquard dresses and coats featuring shining colors against black background. During the final section of the show the catwalk saw men's wear with shortened pants, puff shoulder shirts and dandy hats.

Up next was the Estoy despierta spring/summer 2017 collection presented by Vyacheslav Zaitsev's student, designer Julia Ivanova and her IVANOVA brand. Just as the nature itself, every spring is a season for a woman to awake and experience love and happiness. The designer has found an ideal formula by combining bright and vivid summer colors with smooth lines and unusual elements. Dawn or dusk, the saturation of colors depends on the temper and the mood. The collection is also burning with color shades symbolizing life's happy moments, which are green, yellow and white. Wide shoulder straps, a little bit of accessories (elegant headbands) add to the experience. Special attention should be paid to the line-up of pristine white garments: basque, floor-skimming dresses, with a touch of asymmetry. The collection radiates this elusive image of a woman who is at times discreet and strict, and in other moments playfully sexy.

As part of the FashionTime Designers runway show DARIA DASHINA presented a collection of romantic woven dresses and suites. These combined warmth and lightness. Each garment elaborates on its own side of its lady's femininity, either luring with transparent hem or with flounces, plunging neckline, minis, fluffy wool and weightless netting. The collection's color palette reminds of summer flowerbeds with their union of white and red, green and orange, shades of lilac and deep blue. Moel Bosh fashion brand's founder Zuhra Inat grew up in Uzbekistan. In her work she uses Uzbek fabrics and unique ornaments. The spring/summer collection is dominated by elongated silhouettes: floor-skimming skirts and dresses, mid-calf coats, as well as shortened jackets in a duo with high waisted pants. Moel Bosh's wear is exotic, mysterious, comfortable and casual. Stella Di Mare creates seductive evening gowns. Velvet and lace fabrics are colored in indigo, metallic, ripe plum and black. Open back dresses, fantasy collar and trumpet skirts with turn their mistress into a femme fatale.

HARD 2.0. The runway show of the HSE Art and Design school students is a sort of an array of models brought together by a single stylistic concept. First of all it means experimenting with textures and new approaches: eased silhouette transforming into free shapes, with each of them filled with original pattern combinations. Dimmed colors, sport glam in an unusual setting: long sleeves, netting, interesting details and metal inserts or scarf tassels decorations reign here. Create something new from something old by turning it inside out and enhancing it with a fair portion of original vision - that is a recipe of this conceptual and progressive collection.

DIMANEU built its collection around the image of the white crow. Dima singles out his heroines via monochrome embroidery dresses with bird print, artistically implements broken curves, angular gores and trendy color palette. The artist stresses the idea of irregularity, an image that goes beyond with its modern trends, sport and undergarment style. This White Crow can be iridescent like moonstone, startle with the cold metal glow, discourage with the transparency of its shaping dresses, but it cannot be left unnoticed.

In his collection Artem Shumov explores the limitless opportunities of men's sport chic. Two-piece outfit of common silhouettes but of no usual colors were mixed on the catwalk with metallic jumpsuits as well as long sweatshirts were playing in duo with velvet pants. Coloring matched the season, however there was still a room for lurid shades of yellow, bright green and bright orange.

Vassa&Co's collection was mainly reminiscent of a game of chess, all in black and white. There are some colorful exceptions like, for instance, a scarlet dress or a yellow futuristic cut leather top. The collection also features shoulder line-focused dresses, graphic silhouettes, asymmetric solutions and strict, straight cut garments.

I V K A is famous for its love for architectural shapes and abstract patterns in clothing. The collection is based on pinafores coming in a huge variety of textures and shapes. The color palette is minimalistic: dark shades, pure black and white, daring yellow. Pinafores showcase wide lines, narrow stripes, trouser stripes, raglan sleeves, wristbands and ribbons. Sport style elements are intermixed with highlighted femininity of large florence edging and ascots with added bowknots. Exaggerated shapes, catwalk-skimming dress tails and dropped sleeves make the outfit look like a dramatic and infantile female Pierrot. But the seeming fragility of the image contrasts with the character's true strength.

Next up was Julia Dilua's collection. For a moment the runway turned into a theatrical performance inspired by Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Each model seemed to come right from the pages of the novel in all of their magnificence, wearing luxurious fur coats, elegant jackets, fine muffs, coats, mantles and evening wraps made of sable, lynx, fox and mink. Each and everyone here felt as if at an amazing high society ball.

The first day ended with a presentation of AKA NANITA (Georgia) brand. Dimmed color palette implied the combination of sand and deep emerald coloring and, yet again, black. Refined nobleness is reflected in the cut, fabrics and decorative elements. And only carelessly painted scarlet lips of the models seemed to demonstrate the inner revolt hidden beneath the superficial modesty of the garments.

Apart from the main shows the presentation hall saw a presentation of FY:R brand. The name of the brand is the Swedish for 'lighthouse'. In FY:R's wear Scandinavian esthetics meet Russian cut and print features, while minimalism is diluted with refined drapery. A trip to the White Sea was the designer's inspiration for this new collection.